The Listowel Wingham Hospitals Alliance is making an explicit commitment to maintaining strong hospitals in both Listowel and Wingham as it plans for future services across the two sites.
The Alliance issued a statement this week outlining its long-term vision for Listowel Memorial Hospital and Wingham and District Hospital.
"Our vision for the Listowel Wingham Hospitals Alliance is a strong, vibrant two-hospital system," the organization said.
LWHA operates the two hospitals under a shared management structure, although Listowel Memorial and Wingham and District remain separate hospital corporations.
The statement says the Alliance's board and leadership are united behind maintaining both sites and that the commitment will guide future investment and service expansion.
The message comes as LWHA works on a new Master Services Plan that will determine how services develop across the two hospitals.
Its current strategic plan calls for identifying "Centers of Excellence" at its hospital sites and within the broader regional health system by March 2027.
The Alliance is also targeting growth in several services over the coming year.
LWHA plans to increase surgical volumes by 10 per cent at both hospitals by the end of March, while increasing diagnostic imaging volumes by 15 per cent.
The organization is also working to recruit more primary-care providers and explore alternative models for delivering care.
LWHA has not indicated in its statement that either hospital is facing closure.
Instead, the organization says its future planning is based around continuing to operate both Listowel Memorial Hospital and Wingham and District Hospital while determining how services can be expanded and organized between them.
