Enhancing Niagara's Hospitals
- March 2005
- Français
Two recent exciting announcements are taking the Niagara Health System (NHS) a few steps closer toward its goal of being Leaders in Healthcare. On Feb. 23, the NHS hosted an event to mark the completed purchase of a 40-acre property to build a new hospital complex for St. Catharines, Thorold and immediate area, containing a regional cancer centre, cardiac catheterization lab and tertiary (specialized) mental health services. That news was closely followed by the Feb. 24 announcement by Premier Dalton McGuinty that $13.08 million in provincial capital funding will go towards the $21-million Emergency Department and Ambulatory Care Project at Greater Niagara General Site in Niagara Falls.
"It has long been our goal to provide the best health care possible to Niagara residents," says NHS Board Chairman Paul Leon. "As advocates for our region's healthcare we have the will, the determination, the talent and the heart to do what's needed to make a difference in the lives of the people of Niagara."
New Emergency Department and Ambulatory Care Centre for Niagara Falls
The Premier's announcement that the province will fund $13.08 million of the $21 million ER project is indeed welcome news. "This is fabulous news for the people of the Niagara Falls area who depend on the services of our Greater Niagara General site," says Paul. "It is also equally welcomed and appreciated by our team of health care professionals who, for many years, have provided exceptional care under very difficult facility conditions in the existing GNG Emergency. This project is one of the most important health-care investments to be made in the Niagara Falls community in decades."
The Emergency Department at GNG is an extremely busy facility, with more than 50,000 patients treated there every year. The current department was originally built in the early 1970's to care for 20,000 patients annually.
The project involves new construction as well as redevelopment, and will provide a full range of services including dedicated trauma and resuscitation areas, emergent care, specialty care areas and a fast-track unit for non-urgent visits. The current Emergency Department will become an expanded Ambulatory Care Unit, providing a range of services, including scheduled clinics, specialty medical clinics, pre-admission clinics, minor procedure clinics, day surgery, medical day-care, and surgical day-care.
"This project is a model for the rest of Canada," says President and CEO Debbie Sevenpifer. "The design was developed in the wake of the SARS crisis and incorporates special compartmentalized air-handling systems to ensure that the facility is in a high state of readiness in the event of infection control issues, chemical or biological exposures. I would like to acknowledge the extensive work of the hospital's planning and design team with special mention of Dr. David Turineck, Site Chair of Emergency Medicine at the GNG Site who worked extensively on the development of the project."
"I would like to personally thank everyone who has contributed to and worked over the years on this extensive project," Debbie says. "I would also like to thank the Greater Niagara General Hospital Foundation. Now the Foundation is in a prime position to complete their fundraising campaign for this project."
As part of the project planning, the NHS has already undergone a pre-qualification process for general contractors to be able to tender construction on the project upon government approval. With an expedited tender process, hospital officials expect construction to start mid-2005 and to last approximately 18 months.
New Health-Care Complex for St. Catharines and Area
The proposal for a new health-care complex, known as the Building for Better Health Project, includes the development of a comprehensive cancer treatment centre, cardiac catheterization and tertiary mental health facility to serve residents from across Niagara and a new acute care hospital for the residents of St. Catharines, Thorold and immediate area.
"We are truly appreciative of the St. Catharines General Hospital Foundation and its willingness to assist this project as it evolves," says Chairman Paul Leon. "With every day that passes here in Niagara, the relevance and need for the services that the Building for Better Health Project will bring becomes infinitely more important."
The St. Catharines General Foundation provided the NHS with a loan of nearly $1 million, enabling the NHS to finalize the land transaction. Efforts are underway through the newly-formed Niagara Health System Foundation to secure a lead donor to fund the total purchase cost of the land.
"There are five key stages of hospital capital planning - master plan proposal, functional programming, preliminary design, contract document development and implementation," says CEO Debbie Sevenpifer. "Right now, we are approaching the end of the functional programming and master planning.
"Through the next 15 months, as we complete the design stage, we will involve our physicians, nurses, allied professionals and support personnel to consult on the specific physical facility needs of their clinical areas," Debbie says. "By involving our stakeholders throughout the design process we will design and build a health-care complex that is patient-centred and is delivered on time and on budget."
The NHS continues to work towards a goal of completing construction on the health complex by December 2009 in accordance with the need identified by Cancer Care Ontario to have a Niagara regional cancer centre up and running by that date.
"We must aggressively complete the stages of capital planning working co-operatively with the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care in order to bring needed health services for cardiac and cancer care to the people of our region," Debbie says.