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<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\tBorn and raised in London, Brian Williams joined The Free Press in 2023 and has reported extensively on London and the region. His primary focuses are health care and Elgin County.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital\u2019s expansion of two specialized programs has helped increase the medical centre\u2019s capacity as the regional population it serves grows, officials say.<\/p>\n
A September 2025 expansion of two \u201ccritical\u201d programs \u2013 the systemic therapy program and the neonatal intensive care unit \u2013 has been successful attending to more patients as St. Thomas and surrounding Elgin County experience population growth, said Gina Souliere, the hospital\u2019s director of surgical services.<\/p>\n
The expansion of the systemic therapy program, which provides specialized cancer treatment and other intravenous infusion treatments, from three days a week to five, has increased the hospital\u2019s local capacity \u201csignificantly\u201d for chemotherapy by roughly 18 per cent from April to August, compared to the same period in 2025, Souliere said.<\/p>\n
The hospital, she added, can offer treatment it couldn\u2019t before the expansion.<\/p>\n
\u201cCancer in Ontario, the rates are climbing, sadly, as well as within our own community,\u201d Souliere said. \u201cTo meet the demand, and if patients can\u2019t come here, they have to go into London. So, we really wanted to expand our services to run to a five-day program, so we could offer more chemotherapy appointments to our patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
The expansion keeps patients closer to home and also eases pressure on the Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre at London Health Sciences Centre.<\/p>\n
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The second program expansion, the neonatal intensive care unit, allows the hospital to care for babies born as early as 32 weeks, Souliere said. She cited a roughly 3.5 per cent increase in patients between April and August since the expansion, compared to the same period in 2025.<\/p>\n
Previously, patients delivering babies before a 34-week gestation would have to be sent to London, Souliere said. \u201cIf they can be in an ICU closer to home, it really has a big impact in a positive way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although there are no imminent plans to expand other programs at the St. Thomas hospital, Souliere said the hospital is reviewing the potential expansion of other programs because \u201cdemands are high on the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
In May 2025, The Free Press reported that the hospital\u2019s chief executive, Karen Davies, gave presentations to both St. Thomas politicians and Elgin County council regarding the need for Queen\u2019s Park to deliver a new hospital in the region amid rapid growth and changing demographics.<\/p>\n
Spurred by a manufacturing boom driven by Volkswagen\u2019s massive $7-billion electric vehicle battery plant, the population of St. Thomas is expected to take off over the next 25 years.<\/p>\n
A 2024 report from Mississauga-based consulting firm Watson and Associates Ltd. projected St. Thomas, a city of about 43,000 people, will balloon to 79,500 by 2051.<\/p>\n