Brampton to invest $2.5 million for health-focused campus at Sheridan College

Brampton | Education | Health | Latest News |

By

Published June 7, 2022 at 3:03 pm

Brampton City Council has approved $2.5 million in funding to support Sheridan College’s new Centre for Healthy Communities, which the college says will help provide better care for people living with chronic diseases and fuel Peel Region’s need for medical professionals.

Part of Sheridan’s Campus Master Plan, the 150,000 sq.-m. facility will build on the college’s existing health programs and focus on upstream care and chronic disease prevention.

The city’s funding complements Sheridan’s $20 million investment and will support planning and consultation toward a new building at the Davis campus in Brampton.

The Centre for Healthy Communities has multiple stated goals:

  • Train the next generation of nurses and allied health professionals in Brampton to look after the people of Brampton, Peel and Ontario, and support a shared vision for culturally competent care
  • Be a living lab of innovation and partnerships between students, academics, medical professionals, technology innovators, social service providers and residents
  • Help address hallway health care by addressing chronic disease management through interprofessional, preventative care

According to the city, the new centre will bring an estimated 200 to 500 new jobs in the fields of construction, maintenance, education, health care and administration, industry partnerships and enhanced transit connections for the area.

The centre will also add graduate certificates in Clinical Kinesiology, Regulatory Affairs and Clinical Research, and, pending provincial approval, Bachelors of Nursing and Osteopathy.

The funding to be provided by the city matches the funding requested by Sheridan College last fall, when the school asked the city to contribute $2.5 million over the next two years.

The college gave a presentation in September 2021 in which it posited that Brampton is facing a health care crisis:

  • 62% of Peel residents are obese or overweight.
  • 58% of Brampton residents are not physically active.
  • 48% of Peel residents report having at least one diagnosed chronic health disease.
  • 73% of Brampton’s population report being a visible minority and a lack of access to culturally and racially competent care fosters health inequity.
  • 15-20% of South Asians will develop type 2 diabetes mellitus, putting them at elevated risk compared to other populations.
  • Less than 1% of the provincial health care budget is spent on health promotion.
  • Ontario will be short 37,000 nurses and personal support workers for long-term care alone by 2024.
  • Ontario’s surgery backlog will reach 419,000 elective and 2.5 million diagnostic procedures by October.

On January 22, 2020, Brampton declared a health care emergency and launched its advocacy campaign, “Fair Deal for Brampton” to request additional funding from the Province to bridge Brampton’s health care gap.

“The City of Brampton is dedicated to strengthening our local health care system to one that fosters local talent, creates economic growth and meets the needs of our residents,” said Brampton mayor Patrick Brown.

“Not only will this commitment to Sheridan College’s new Centre for Healthy Communities improve the availability of health care for our residents, but also strengthen sustainable economic development locally, helping attract and retain jobs and talent, including an estimated 200 to 500 full-time jobs at the Sheridan campus in Brampton alone.”

Martin Medeiros, the area Regional Councillor for Sheridan College, says the investment will address the health needs of the community while improving access to quality post-secondary education.

Some of the new programming to be offered at the centre will begin as early as fall 2022, while the rest will become available pending approvals and development of the new facility.

Sheridan’s Davis campus is located on the southeast corner of McLaughlin Rd. S. and Steeles Ave. W in Brampton. The college also has a campus in Mississauga and Oakville.

With files from Jeffrey Allen

insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising