A 10- to 20-year plan is in the preliminary stages of a massive infrastructure overhaul to Hamilton Health Sciences’ (HHS) nine facilities.
HHS president and CEO Rob MacIsaac is estimating the entire process could cost billions of dollars and could take up to 20 years for completion.
Properties up for evaluation, upgrading or even demolition are Chedoke Hospital, Hamilton General Hospital, Juravinski Hospital, Juravinski Cancer Centre, McMaster Children’s Hospital, McMaster University Medical Centre, St. Peter’s Hospital, Main Street West Urgent Care Centre and West Lincoln Memorial Hospital.
HHS officials state aging infrastructure and increased demand on services as reasons behind the need to upgrade and overhaul.
Kelly Campbell, vice-president of corporate services and capital development and the executive lead for the Chedoke Site, said since opening the pediatric emergency department at McMaster Children’s Hospital in 2010, visits have almost tripled, growing from 15,000 to 45,000 annually.
She said patients are coming from not only Hamilton but the surrounding communities of Burlington, Brantford, Ancaster, Dundas, Milton and the Waterloo-Wellington region.
The plan is now in Phase 1-B of a five-phase process, undertaken relying on the traditional 90 per cent of actual construction funding coming from the province.
"The completion of stage 1-B should be done in 12 to 18 months," said Campbell, adding that a request for proposals for an architect is slated to go out this summer.
Projects under consideration for approval to date include three old buildings at the Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre sites on Concession Street being torn down and a new women’s and children’s hospital constructed.
Also under consideration is the redevelopment of three other sections of the cancer centre or adding more levels to the existing hospital structure.
The Juravinski Hospital, which opened in 2010, with phase 1-B opening in 2012, followed a $180-million rebuild of the former Nora Frances Henderson General Hospital.
Campbell said generally the province can be relied upon for the construction funding, with the hospital picking up the balance for furniture, fixtures and necessary equipment.
She is hoping for completion within 10 years, but did stress that funding and the planning process relies on the political landscape.
In echoing that statement, MacIsaac said, "It takes many years to plan and build new hospitals, and we’ve just started the process. This is a very exciting and very ambitious plan that deserves careful thought and consultation each step of the way. We’ll continue to consult our workforce and our community stakeholders as we move ahead."
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