St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton's West 5th Campus reaches new heights

Environmentally friendly facility boosting local economy during construction

HAMILTON, ON, May 23, 2012 /CNW/ - St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton's West 5th Campus reached a major construction milestone today as hospital staff, board members, project partners and community members celebrated the building's topping off.

'Topping off' is a construction tradition that celebrates a building reaching its tallest vertical peak.

Already in the second year of construction, the project is more than 50 per cent complete and is on time and on budget. More than 500 workers are on site daily, providing a sizeable boost to Hamilton's economy by supporting and creating jobs.

The new hospital will provide larger, state-of-the-art facilities to better support people and families struggling with mental illness and addiction. Highlights of the project include:

• approximately 800,000 square feet of indoor space;
• increased capacity of up to 305 inpatient beds and associated support services;
• expanded outpatient clinics for psychiatry, diagnostic imaging and medical services; and
• innovative research and academic spaces.

Construction of the hospital began in late 2010 and it is expected to open to patients in summer 2014.

Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care are working with St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton to develop the new hospital, which will remain publicly owned, publicly controlled and publicly accountable.

Infrastructure Ontario is a Crown corporation dedicated to delivering some of the province's larger and more complex infrastructure renewal projects, on time and on budget.  It also manages one of the largest real estate portfolios in Canada, offers real estate services, such as asset management and property and land management, and provides the public sector and not-for-profit organizations with long-term financing to renew public infrastructure.

Visit www.infrastructureontario.ca or http://www.stjoes.ca/west5 for more information.

Quotes:

Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
"This new hospital will provide Hamilton and surrounding communities with better access to care for those struggling with mental illness and addiction. I'm proud of our government's commitment to providing high quality care services for residents closer to home."

Ted McMeekin, MPP, Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale
"This is a significant milestone for the people of Hamilton. Through investment in this new hospital, the residents in our community will have continued access to great health care for many years to come."

Dr. David Higgins, President of St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton
"This is a momentous occasion for healthcare. Through this project, we will continue to enhance our role as the leader in mental health and addiction services in this region."

Disponible en français

Backgrounder

ST. JOSEPH'S HEALTHCARE HAMILTON, WEST 5TH CAMPUS

With approximately 800,000 square feet of indoor space and increased capacity of up to 305 inpatient beds, inpatient and outpatient services provided in the new facility will include:

Mental Health and Addictions Program •     acute mental health •     geriatric psychiatry •     mood and anxiety disorders •     schizophrenia and community integration •     forensic psychiatry •     intensive rehabilitation unit •     outpatient clinics	Clinical Support Services •     anxiety disorders program •     treatment and assessment services •     patient and family services •     pharmacy •     medical outpatient clinic •     diagnostic imaging outpatient clinic •     health records •     clinical lab
Education, Learning and Research •     department of psychiatry •     library •     education/training facilities •     centralized and decentralized research space	Corporate services •     administration •     food services •     central stores

The design and construction of the new hospital will adhere to the guidelines and sustainability principles of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) rating system, with a goal of achieving LEED® Silver certification. LEED buildings focus on healthy indoor environments, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and efficient use of energy, water and other resources. Highlights include:

• using building materials with recycled and locally sourced products and diverting 90 per cent of construction waste from the landfill;
• preserving the mature grove of trees on the central and west portions of the site and landscaping new plants that are native to the area and drought resistant;
• reducing the facility's indoor water use by over 20 per cent through the use of highly efficient plumbing fixtures including low-flush toilets, faucets and showers;
• providing space for secure bicycle storage, shower facilities for staff and public transportation routes in close proximity to the facility's front entrance;
• minimizing solar heat gain through a predominant east-west orientation and a PVC roof to reduce the heat island effect; and
• limiting the amount of light pollution by designing the site lighting layout with no light spillage to adjacent properties.

Disponible en français 

 

Debbie Silva
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton
905-522-1155, Ext. 33037 

Terence Foran
Infrastructure Ontario
416-325-2939