The CEO of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit promised to release more details in the coming months, but Nicole Dupuis will say it hopes to move to the campus of the University of Windsor sometime in early 2024.
The health unit and the University announced a new partnership on Wednesday that would see the public health agency move into Residence Hall West.
"We'll be working closely with the University to determine what that exact move date will be," said Dupuis. "Once these items have been more solidified and approved by our boards we'll be able to bring that information to the public and, certainly, our staff."
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Dupuis announced back in April the health unit was looking for a new home after three decades at its Ouellette Avenue location.
The lease expires at the end of 2023, and the health unit decided not to renew because it had outgrown the building.
"One of the key pieces about us moving out of our current space is that it is not large enough to house the number of people we have, and it's not large enough for the services we provide," she explained.
Dupuis said the new location is roomier but will require a lot of work to retrofit it for the health unit's needs.
"Adding in our dental spaces and the number of laboratories as well as our clinical services -- this is quite a bit of work that will need to go in over the next year or so to convert it from a dormitory into an office that meets the needs of our staff and our clients," she said.
In April, she said demand for dental services had grown significantly, as has the need for more space to provide vaccination.
The health unit started its search for a new location at the start of the year, but it wasn't as simple as finding a place with more room. Ideally, it wanted a new home that was close to bus routes.
The University's Board of Governors will need to approve the move. Its first meeting isn't until October.
