Southlake Health Launches Search for New Advanced Care Centre Partner in Bradford West Gwillimbury

New facility will bring care closer to home as part of Southlake’s Distributed Health Network

Southlake Health has issued a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) to identify potential partners to develop an Advanced Care Centre in Bradford West Gwillimbury. This request is part of Southlake’s vision to transform into a Distributed Health Network (DHN), which was recently endorsed by Ontario’s government. Together, with two hospital sites and expanded services through two new community-based Advanced Care Centres, Southlake will enhance the patient experience, improve access, and expand capacity.

“Advancing Southlake Health’s Distributed Health Network means reimagining how and where care is delivered to better meet the needs of our rapidly growing communities,” said Paul Woods, MD, President and CEO. “The Advanced Care Centre in Bradford West Gwillimbury is an important step toward building a more integrated health system that will deliver leading edge care closer to home for patients and families, both today and into the future.”

Advanced Care Centres will be a cornerstone of Southlake's Distributed Health Network. These community-based facilities, which will be located in Bradford West Gwillimbury and Georgina, will be designed to expand access, reduce pressure on hospital sites, and improve overall patient experience by delivering care closer to home. 

“With a new hospital in York-Simcoe and expanded services through a new community based Advanced Care Centre right here in Bradford, Southlake will help connect more people and families to the care they need, closer to home,” said Caroline Mulroney, MPP for York–Simcoe. “This initiative reflects our shared commitment to strengthening the regional health care system and ensuring families and residents can access high quality care.”

Southlake’s Distributed Health Network is now moving from vision to implementation — designing a modern, connected health system to meet patients’ needs. Planning will extend beyond physical infrastructure, evaluating a community’s health profile using population health management principles, to inform what types of health and wellness services are required to best meet residents’ needs. 

As part of this work, the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury is investing $210,000 to complete a population health assessment that will help shape the future Advanced Care Centre, ensuring services are informed by local health needs and designed to deliver the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

"Bradford West Gwillimbury is one of the fastest-growing communities in Ontario, and our residents deserve healthcare that keeps pace with that growth. Too often, people have had to travel far from home to access the care they need — that's something we're committed to changing,” said Mayor James Leduc. “Partnering with Southlake Health to bring more services right into our community is exactly the kind of investment our residents deserve, and I'm proud to help make it happen."

Through the Request for Expressions of Interest, Southlake is seeking partners capable of developing a community-based health facility on supplier-owned land within Bradford West Gwillimbury. The intent is for Southlake to lease this space to deliver healthcare services, ensuring residents have localized access to the Distributed Health Network’s expertise. 

“Working alongside Southlake Health and the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, the NYSS OHT has supported a collaborative approach to better understand the evolving health care needs of the community,” said Christina Bisanz, Co-Chair of the Northern York South Simcoe Ontario Health Team. “This milestone represents an important step forward in that planning process, bringing partners together to improve access to more connected, convenient care that better supports patients, families, and the growing community.”

Southlake Health will continue collaborating with the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury and the Northern York South Simcoe Ontario Health Team through the memorandum of understanding established in 2024, which formalized a shared commitment to advancing local health and wellness priorities for one of Canada’s fastest-growing communities. 

Together with government, municipal, and community partners, Southlake will build a more connected, sustainable health system that expands access to high-quality care and brings leading edge care closer to home for residents across northern York Region and southern Simcoe County.

Quick Facts

• In 2024, The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, Southlake Health, and the Northern York South Simcoe Ontario Health Team signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a formal relationship between the parties around shared goals of improving services for residents in Bradford West Gwillimbury.
• A Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) has been issued and is available here.