Redevelopment at Kingston General Hospital

In the past year many exciting changes have taken place as Kingston General Hospital’s promise of redevelopment is being realized.  Kingston General Hospital has seen the most transformations over the last few years, including the construction of five additional floors, and the renovation of several other spaces. Three of the seven KGH projects are now complete.  At any given time, about 200 construction workers were on site. About 90 per cent of these jobs were filled by local workers.

In December 2009, KGH celebrated the opening of the new pediatric inpatient unit located on the new 10th floor of the Kidd wing.  The unit overlooks the lake and is a cheerful, bright and modern space that helps ensure seriously ill children in our community are cared for in an environment that addresses their emotional, physical and developmental needs.

The new unit, which is 34 per cent larger than the old unit, includes private rooms, a play room, family area and rehabilitation space.  The extra space and addition of private rooms, means parents now have the option to stay with their children. This not only comforts the parents, but also helps their children remain calm and relaxed throughout their sometimes difficult healing process.

A few months later, the new medical/inpatient oncology space opened on the new ninth floor of the Kidd wing. The first patients were admitted in early March 2010.  This new 32-bed unit includes six positive pressure rooms that are specially designed to reduce harmful pathogens from entering the room from the corridor.  This is critical for our cancer patients who are highly susceptible to infection because they have either a low amount or no white blood cells as a result of chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation.  The addition of medical/oncology beds means patients will have better access to surgical care.

In December 2010, KGH celebrated the opening of the new dialysis unit, welcoming the region’s most acute and fragile dialysis patients to a wonderfully bright space with lots of natural light.  Located on the newly built third floor of the Burr wing, the unit includes dialysis stations that are more than double the size of the old stations.  This means enhanced privacy in a much more comfortable setting for our patients and helps accommodates family and friends, who often travel with patients, as well as mobility aids, such as wheelchairs or scooters.  Each station is equipped with an individual telephone and television – and the unit has a breathtaking waterfront view. 

The new inpatient mental health unit at KGH opened in June 2011 to provide a safe treatment setting for acutely ill patients.  The new 45-bed unit includes a separate eight-bed adolescent unit known as the KinsmenYouth Mental Health Unit. Using the most advanced knowledge of the best recovery environment for mental health patients, the unit is designed to create as home-like an environment as possible. Located on the fourth floor of the Burr wing, it is a sunny, modern space with fantastic views of Lake Ontario and includes private rooms, dining rooms, kitchens and recreation/lounge areas.

The first of three phases of the intensive care unit (ICU) expansion and renovation is finished, and patients moved in early May 2010. Once the remaining two phases of the ICU expansion are complete in 2012, KGH will have expanded its critical care capacity from 21 to 33 beds. The expanded ICU will increase our community’s access to highly-specialized care for life-threatening illnesses and injuries.

As well, the expansion and upgrading of central processing services project is expected to be completed by 2012.  This non-patient service is responsible for the cleaning, decontamination and sterilization of surgical instruments and other patient care items.

The largest project at KGH is the redevelopment of the Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario. In October 2010, the first phase of the project was completed with the opening of cancer centre’s new outpatient clinic area.

The renovations are transforming the current space and a new floor is being added, giving the cancer centre three floors of space – radiation treatment in the lower level, clinic space and chemotherapy treatment on the first floor and offices and administration on the second floor. Overall, the cancer centre is almost doubling in size.  The chemotherapy and radiation suites are expected to open in late 2011 and early 2012.

The complexity of the KGH construction project means that there are many changes to the normal access routes to and within the hospital from time to time.  KGH is working to minimize disruptions to patients and families to make the transition as easy as possible.