Toronto Breaks Ground on New Patient Care Tower

A new wing at St. Michael’s Hospital (Toronto, ON, Canada) designed for critically ill patients will integrate state-of-the-art operating rooms (ORs) with medical imaging equipment.

The new 17-story Peter Gilgan Patient Care Tower will include five purpose-built, state-of-the-art ORs which will be fitted with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized tomography, (CT), and X-rays scanners, which will allow surgeons to perform more minimally invasive surgery (MIS) procedures, which are less traumatic to patients and require shorter hospital stays. The tower will also include two new intensive care units (ICUs), a general one and one for coronary patients. The tower is part of a larger hospital redevelopment, which includes renovations that will nearly double the size of the emergency department (ED).

All in-patient rooms in the new tower will be single rooms, providing more privacy for patients and better infection control. Every room will also have natural light, which has been shown to promote overall health and reduce falls. In addition, the rooms will have dedicated comfortable spaces for families to involve them more in patient care, which has also been shown to lead to better outcomes. Construction, which is expected to cost CAD 301 million and take three years, will be undertaken by Bondfield Construction (Concord, ON, Canada).

“With this new patient care tower, we will have the right space and the right equipment to provide the best care in Canada for critically ill patients,” said Robert Howard, MD, CEO of St. Michael's Hospital. “This is a particularly ambitious goal when you consider that we are located in the heart of the biggest city in Canada and accept the sickest patients from throughout Canada’s biggest province. Our catchment area also includes a vulnerable inner city population with multiple health challenges.”

“I am so impressed with the quality, skill and professionalism of the doctors, nurses, and health care workers at St. Mike’s who day in and day out do incredible work with quite frankly not the best facilities,” said Peter Gilgan, founder and CEO of Mattamy Homes (Oakville, ON, Canada), who donated CAD 30 million toward construction the a new patient care tower. “I am so pleased to do my part to contribute to an extraordinary new tower that will be purpose-built, state of the art and specifically designed so these amazing health teams can do even more to care for the most serious and critically ill patients.”

“The expansion of St. Michael's Hospital is an important initiative, allowing the hospital to better manage high patient volumes in such a densely populated community of Ontario,” added Eric Hoskins, MD, minister for health and long-term care in Ontario (Canada). “The new tower will also include modern facilities for orthopedic surgery, oncology, coronary care, and respirology.”

Related Links:
St. Michael’s Hospital
Bondfield Construction
Mattamy Homes