Winnipeg’s Misericordia Health Centre is currently undergoing extensive renovations, upgrades and additions and phase one is now complete. The $43-million project, set to open in stages, includes the Buhler Eye Care Centre, PRIME program, and Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre. During phase one of construction, an existing facility, known as the Maryland South building, was demolished to make way for a two-storey complex housing the aforementioned programs and centres.

In a CBC News article, written by Holly Caruk, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s Dr. Brock Wright is quoted: “There’s lots of improvements associated with this building that will make a big difference to patient care. Previously patients would have to travel to the fourth floor of an adjacent building in order to get their lab and [diagnostic] work done. Now, if they are in urgent care, they can just walk across the hall and have those treatments provided.”

With these changes, the Misericordia Health Centre is now home to the largest eye care centre of its kind in Western Canada, the Buhler Eye Care Centre, providing Mantiobans with over 12,000 eye surgeries annually. The PRIME program, which will provide seniors with access to medical experts, recreational and social activities, personal care, rehabilitation and support for their families, is set to open in spring 2015.

Phase two of the redevelopment plan includes a demolition of the site’s Sherbook St. building, built in 1906, to allow for the construction of a new facility connecting the centre’s Cornish Ave. and Wolseley Ave. buildings.

The Government of Manitoba contributed $38-million for phase one, with the Misericordia Health Centre Foundation providing the remaining $5-million.