Bluewater Health planning web update with French

Bluewater Health is “incrementally” moving ahead with incorporating French translations on hospital signs and forms.

“There’s a lot of learning,” said hospital group CEO Paula Reaume-Zimmer, adding Bluewater Health’s progress seems “on track.”

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Few workers at the Sarnia and Petrolia hospital corporation speak French, so making the switch, after Sarnia was designated in 2021 , under the provincial French Language Services Act, to provide French-language services, has some challenges, Reaume-Zimmer said.

It’s unknown how many work at Bluewater Health who are fluent in French, she said.

“We do have a limited pool of French-speaking staff.”

Nevertheless, progress is being made, she said.

A website relaunch is planned in early 2026 with “a French-specific space,” new