By Regan Lalonde

Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) opened Ontario’s newest hospital facility, the Ken and Marilyn Thomson Patient Care Centre (Thomson Centre), in February, ushering in a new era of healthcare for East Toronto.

The state-of-the-art, LEED-certified building features 215 inpatient beds and two floors of brand-new outpatient clinics across eight floors and 550,000 square feet.

It was built using best practices in clinical design to provide a safe and supportive healing environment, and incorporates environmentally friendly and innovative technologies that help improve the experiences of patients and staff alike.

In addition, the Thomson Centre was developed with East Toronto residents in mind, helping to address the unique healthcare needs of an area that is comprised of some of Ontario’s most diverse communities.

“The Thomson Centre gives me hope for the future of healthcare in East Toronto,” says Razia Rashed, a community member and patient at MGH whose family has received care at the hospital for three generations.

“As a community hospital, MGH provides high-quality specialized care close to home for East Toronto residents,” adds Wolf Klassen, President and CEO, Interim at MGH.

“Our teams are excited to care for patients in a modern, state-of-the-art facility that the community deserves.”

Designed with patient needs in mind

The East Toronto community has a broad spectrum of health and social care needs, including a higher prevalence of chronic, complex illnesses and mental health challenges than the general population.

To address these needs, MGH placed three of the hospital’s largest chronic disease outpatient programs beside one another in one dedicated space in the Thomson Centre. This helps make frequent visits more convenient for patients and allows teams to collaborate more effectively on patient care.

Each inpatient floor was designed with best practices around infection control and prevention. Eighty percent of rooms are single-occupancy, and all rooms – even double-occupancy ones – have a private bathroom.

In addition, negative pressure isolation rooms are available for patients who may be infectious.

These spaces offer patients light-filled surroundings and greater privacy, bringing dignity and respite as they heal and recover.

New integrated technologies

With the opening of the Thomson Centre, MGH has integrated its new and existing technologies as much as possible so they “speak” to one another across the legacy campus and new building. This helps make patient care more efficient across the entire hospital.

New technology includes safety bracelets for patients at high risk of wandering, staff duress badges and medical equipment tracking.

These are connected to a real-time location system (RTLS), which sends signals to ceiling-mounted monitors to help determine the exact location of equipment and consenting individuals

The new RTLS technology also makes it easier to contact trace in cases of infection or outbreak and streamlines the documentation of hand hygiene compliance among staff, credentialed clinicians and learners.

Environmentally friendly elements

The Thomson Centre has many efriendly features that help improve the comfort and well-being of everyone in the hospital while also helping MGH minimize its environmental footprint for years to come.

These features include a green roof, which helps produce cleaner air and reduce stormwater runoff; and two terraces, which provide greenery, shaded spaces and sunlight for staff and patients to enjoy.

The terraces also offer a safe, non-clinical space for staff, patients, caregivers and visitors to relax, and may be beneficial for healing and reducing stress.

Other environmentally friendly features in the Thomson Centre include high-efficiency boilers and LED lights, which help reduce the hospital’s overall energy output.

This sustainable design has earned MGH a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification for the Thomson Centre.

LEED-certified buildings produce less greenhouse gas emissions, conserve water and energy and create healthier environments for people. It is a globally recognized sign of sustainability achievement and leadership.

While the Thomson Centre is the centrepiece of MGH’s campus transformation, the larger project will continue until 2024 with renovations to existing areas of the hospital, decommissioning of outdated wings and new greenery and landscaping to welcome the community to the new facility.

Regan Lalonde is a Communications and Community Engagement Coordinator at Michael Garron Hospital.