New centre at The Boardwalk will offer a
variety of medical services in one building
variety of medical services in one building
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by Helen HallKitchener Citizen
It is hoped that a new 80,000 square foot medical building being constructed at The Boardwalk on Ira Needles will draw new doctors to Waterloo Region.
A groundbreaking took place July 19 at the north end of The Boardwalk property which straddles the Kitchener-Waterloo border on the west side.
Greg Voisin and Paul Dietrich are business partners in The Boardwalk development.
The four-storey building will include space for general practioners, specialists and clinics, along with a pharmacy, laboratory and a medical imaging site.
The building was designed by A. Baldassarra Architects and is being constructed by Melloul Blamey. It should be completed by the fall of 2013.
“We have assembled a team to pull this all together,” said Dr.
John Sehl of Kitchener. “We will have all the services in one
building.”
Sehl said this will be attractive for new doctors coming into the
region because it will be a “turn-key setup” with everything they
need available within the building.
He said young doctors will be able to be mentored by older doctors in the building, and older doctors will be able to transfer their patients to other doctors in the building when they retire.
Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce president Ian McLean said some inroads have been made since the Chamber started its Physician Recruitment Task Force. At that time, 40,000 people in the region needed a doctor and now that number is believed to be 20,000.
Having enough doctors for residents helps “drive the economy” said Task Force member Roger Farwell. He said new businesses don’t want to start up in an area where there is a shortage of doctors.
“I want to thank Greg and Paul for the values they bring to the project. They know how to take on a community challenge and solve it,” Farwell said.
At the sod turning for a new Medical Centre that will be constructed at The Boardwalk on Ira Needles, from left: Neil Aitchison of Melloul-Blamey Construction, Regional Chair Ken Seiling, Waterloo Mayor Brenda Halloran, Dr. John Sehl, Greg Voisin, Paul Dietrich, Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr, President/CEO of the Greater K-W Chamber of Commerce Ian McLean and Roger Farwell of the Physician Recruitment Task Force.