Quinte Health Care Belleville General celebrates opening of new wing

Charlotte Sills Wing completed on time and on budget

BELLEVILLE, ON, Feb. 1 /CNW/ - Deb Matthews , Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, Leona Dombrowsky, MPP for Prince Edward-Hastings, and Lou Rinaldi , MPP for Northumberland-Quinte West, joined hospital officials, community members and health care partners today to celebrate the opening of the new five-storey Charlotte Sills Wing at Quinte Health Care Belleville General.

The new wing will improve access to health care with the relocation and expansion of several units and services, including the rehabilitation unit, the intensive care unit and the Children's Treatment Centre.

Construction work for the redevelopment project began in March 2007 and was completed in January 2010 , on time and on budget. At the peak of construction, there were more than 150 workers onsite daily. The new Charlotte Sills Wing features:

    
    -   Spacious and bright patient rooms.
    -   Outdoor patios for fresh air and therapy.
    -   Large combined dining/recreating area for Complex Continuing Care.
    -   Children's Treatment Centre with numerous rooms for assessment and
        treatment.
    -   New facilities for the Pre-School Speech and Language Program
    -   A Family Resource Centre.
    -   A fully equipped kitchen for assessment of meal preparation.
    -   A mobility clinic room; and group treatment rooms.
    

"We want to make sure Ontarians have access to the best health care, close to home," said Deb Matthews , Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. "This new wing will improve the patient experience and help ensure more people can get health services at Quinte Health Care."

"This is an exciting day for our community," said Leona Dombrowsky, MPP for Prince Edward-Hastings. "Belleville General's expanded hospital will help ensure people in this community have access to high-quality health care in an innovative, patient-friendly environment."

"This project is important not only because it will ensure residents of our community will have expanded and improved health care facilities, but also because it has created jobs and economic spin-offs that benefit our community," said Lou Rinaldi , MPP for Northumberland-Quinte West.

"The opening of the Charlotte Sills Wing at QHC Belleville General is a momentous event for everyone at Quinte Health Care and for the community we serve," said Brian Smith , Chair, QHC Board of Directors. "The new building will enhance the care that our staff and physicians can provide to patients requiring complex continuing care, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation and the Children's Treatment Center. This would not have been possible without significant financial support from the Ontario government and the local community."

Patients and staff will begin moving into the new wing on February 9 . The second phase of redevelopment at QHC Belleville General will encompass the emergency department, laboratory, mental health unit and surgical suites.

Infrastructure Ontario worked with Quinte Health Care to complete the redevelopment of the hospital, which will remain publicly owned, publicly controlled and publicly accountable. Infrastructure Ontario is a Crown corporation dedicated to managing some of the province's larger and more complex infrastructure renewal projects - ensuring they are built on time and on budget.

Visit www.infrastructureontario.ca for more information.

    
                                 BACKGROUNDER
    

Quinte Health Care (QHC) is a fully accredited hospital operating on four sites: QHC Belleville General, QHC North Hastings, QHC Prince Edward County Memorial and QHC Trenton Memorial. The hospital serves more than 150,000 residents of Prince Edward and Hastings Counties and the southeast portion of Northumberland County.

The 192-bed QHC Belleville General facility currently provides primary and secondary care and offers a full range of clinical and diagnostic services, a 24-hour-a-day emergency department, support services and outreach programs.

Quinte Health Care Redevelopment, Phase I

Phase I of the Quinte Health Care redevelopment modernized and increased the capacity of Quinte Health Care Belleville General with the addition of a new five-story wing ( Charlotte Sills Wing). The new addition will accommodate the relocation and expansion of the complex continuing care and rehabilitation units, new facilities for the Children's Treatment Centre, and a small addition to expand the Intensive Care Unit.

The renovation and expansion project included:

    
    -   more than 155,000 square feet of new construction, increasing the
        existing hospital size by 35 per cent;

    -   the renovation of 22,000 square feet, resulting in 177,000 square
        feet of total redeveloped space; and

    -   a number of design measures to support responsible
        energy/environmental design, including heat recovery, variable speed
        systems, building/shell systems and computerized controls.
    

In future phases, Quinte Health Care plans to redevelop the emergency department, hospital laboratory, surgical suites and medical and mental health units at Quinte Health Care Belleville General.

Construction of Phase I began in March 2007 and was completed in January 2010 .

Disponible en français

For further information: Susan Rowe, Quinte Health Care, [phone] ext. 2331; Jennifer Sclisizzi, Infrastructure Ontario, [phone]