By Michaela MacPherson

This past year was significant for Infrastructure Ontario and the healthcare sector. We brought our hundredth project to market, and more than half of those are hospitals. Here’s a look at some of the projects that reached significant milestones this past year:

Casey House (Toronto)

In March, construction wrapped up on a new facility for Casey House, a specialty hospital for people living with HIV/AIDS. The new 58,000 square foot space has enabled an enriched model of care, increasing Casey House’s capacity to accommodate a new day health program.

Providence Care Hospital (Kingston)

In Kingston, the new Providence Care Hospital opened its doors in April. The 622,000-square-foot hospital is Kingston’s largest infrastructure project to date, and includes 270 private inpatient rooms, as well as modern therapy and clinic spaces for inpatients and outpatients. The facility is also among the first hospitals in North America to fully integrate long-term mental health care with complex care and rehabilitation.

Brockville General Hospital

In May, an RFP was issued for a company to build and finance the Brockville General Hospital redevelopment project, which will account for the largest public investment in the Leeds-Grenville region. The redevelopment involves the construction of a new four-storey tower and renovations to the existing Charles Street facility. Once complete, programs and services currently offered at the Garden and Charles Street sites will be consolidated to the Charles Street site, offering more accessible care for those who need it.

West Park Healthcare Centre (Toronto)

West Park provides specialized rehabilitation, complex continuing care, long-term care and community health services to help individuals get their lives back. In July, an RFP for a team to design, build, finance and maintain the 730,000 square foot replacement facility was released. The new hospital development will have capacity for 314 beds, 80 per cent single-patient rooms, and significantly increased outpatient care and services. As part of West Park’s vision to provide exemplary care inspired by innovation and exceptional performance, the project will also transform the 27-acre site into an integrated campus of care that truly models the way of the future for patient care delivery, education and research.

Joseph Brant Hospital (Burlington)

In August, Joseph Brant Hospital opened the doors to its new patient tower, complete with a new emergency department, operating rooms, a new intensive care unit, and room for 172 beds. All acute care patient rooms in the new tower have a view of Lake Ontario, Hamilton Harbour and/or the Niagara Escarpment. The renovation to the existing hospital is ongoing, and expected to be complete by the end of 2018. All told, this project is bringing state-of-the-art healthcare and medical facilities and services to a community that has not seen their hospital redeveloped in 50 years.

Groves Memorial Community Hospital (Centre Wellington)

In August, the community of Centre Wellington celebrated the start of construction on the new Groves Memorial Community Hospital. Patients and families will soon have better access to health care with the construction of a new, modern, rural hospital in Aboyne. The new hospital will replace the existing facility in Fergus, and will accommodate the health care needs of the growing region by late 2019, providing more space for emergency, ambulatory, diagnostic and inpatient services as well as more private, single-patient rooms.

Milton District Hospital

Hospital officials and patients celebrated a ribbon cutting in Milton this past September, the second hospital project Infrastructure Ontario has delivered for Halton Healthcare (Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, 2015). Adding 330,000 square feet to the existing hospital, the expanded facility was built to meet the increasing care needs of one of Canada’s fastest growing communities. The new centre will offer a full range of clinical services for this rapidly growing community, including new emergency, surgery and inpatient beds, as well as more capacity for critical care, maternal-newborn care and diagnostic imaging, including a new MRI machine. The project also added as many as 66 new inpatient beds, with more private rooms to protect patients from infection and provide privacy.

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) (Toronto)

This October, shovels hit the ground once again on CAMH’s campus. Phase 1C of the redevelopment project is the largest and boldest to date. It involves the construction of two hospital buildings that will support the immediate care and recovery of patients with acute and complex mental illnesses, while advancing education and research. Once complete, all inpatient and clinical programs will be consolidated onto the Queen Street site and integrated with green space and the surrounding neighbourhood, allowing for seamless, flexible, patient-centred care.

Michaela MacPherson works is a communications advisor at Infrastructure Ontario.