The mayor of Corner Brook and many others on the west coast are all smiles today as construction on the new hospital has finally been completed. The hospital was over 15 years in the making.

Jim Parsons, who had a tour of the new facility a while back, describes it as ultra modern with a lot of attention paid to patient experience. He says it’s night and day from the current Western Memorial Regional Hospital.

It will probably be next summer before all the new hospital opens and all services and facilities are transferred.

Premier Andrew Furey, Parsons and others were on hand this morning for a ceremony marking the end of building construction, which began in 2017.

Parsons says there are still decisions to be made on many components of health care in the area, including the location of the nursing school, currently attached to the old facility.

He says the school is an important part of their recruitment effort for nurses plus there are administration offices, laundry facilities and other components to factor into the health care road map in Corner Brook.