Stevenson Increasing Parking Fees to Support Patient Care
Effective November 17, 2015, Stevenson Memorial Hospital (SMH) will be increasing parking fees to support high quality, safe patient care. Measures have also been taken to enhance the ease of use and the processing speed of parking meters. The new parking rates are as follows:
- $7.00 as the daily rate (current rate of $5 remains in place until November 17th)
- $28.00 weekly rate (current rate of $20 remains in place until November 17th)
- $62.00 monthly rate (current rate of $50 remains in place until November 17th)
The modest increase in parking rates will help fund the overall maintenance of Stevenson’s parking facilities through snow removal, de-icing, landscaping and security services. Notwithstanding the increases to parking, Stevenson remains highly competitive when comparing parking rates of Simcoe and York area hospitals. Stevenson is also enhancing the overall quality of its parking service through modern, state-of-the-art meters which quickly process payments with greater efficiency so that patients and their families can focus on their care without having to worry about parking issues.
Parking capacity remains a key priority for Stevenson and options are before the hospital’s facility committee to look at interim strategies to increase capacity for patients. Stevenson plans for revitalizing the hospital through redevelopment include an early-works phase for 2017 that would expand and ultimately triple current parking capacity.
“There is a misconception that the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care funds the maintenance of parking facilities for Ontario hospitals, when in reality this simply isn’t the case,” said Dr. Jody Levac, President and CEO. “We are dependent upon these critical dollars we generate through parking to help fund the maintenance of our parking facilities, which ultimately benefits our ability to offer safe, patient and family-centred care.”
In the coming weeks Stevenson will be actively engaging with patients and their families through bedside and electronic surveying to ensure as always that patients and their families remain partners in their care. One of Stevenson’s strategic pillars is to champion patient care, every step of the way and this modest increase to the hospital’s parking revenue will ensure the sustainability of parking infrastructure which will have a net benefit on patient and family centred care.
