May 20, 2009/- Hotel Dieu Hospital has moved another step closer towards its future as the region’s specialized ambulatory care centre with the completion of the sketch plan for its major redevelopment project.

Approved by the hospital’s Board of Directors in April, the plan now
awaits the stamp of approval from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term
Care.

That approval is a critical milestone in the life of the redevelopment
project because it will clear the way for Hotel Dieu to proceed with
contract documents and drawings, the final stage in the design process.
The hospital is optimistic that it will receive the Ministry’s approval over
the summer and that it can begin the final stage of design in September.
The redevelopment project focuses on the overhaul of 36,000 square feet
of the hospital to create new clinic space for specialized outpatient clinics
moving from Kingston General Hospital to Hotel Dieu. The clinic transfers
will translate into another 50,000 outpatient visits annually at Hotel Dieu,
where patients will benefit from both the convenience of one-stop
ambulatory care and from clinical space designed for enhanced comfort
and privacy.

The sketch plan digs into the details of redevelopment, including floor
plans, required infrastructure (e.g., elevators, mechanical and electrical
systems, information technology needs), equipment lists, a cost estimate
and project schedule.

To help create the plan, Hotel Dieu drew upon the expertise and
experience of five staff/physician design teams representing areas such
as surgery, cardiology, medicine, urology, respiratory therapy,
ambulatory clinics and patient records/registration. The teams worked
closely with the Joint Planning Office, project architects and equipment
consultants.

Together, they prepared a sketch plan that addresses:
• building new generic clinic space on two floors—featuring patient
treatment rooms, waiting areas, teaching space, specimen collection
areas and more—to house the specialized outpatient clinics moving
from Kingston General Hospital
• building a brand new Pulmonary Function Testing Lab
• renovating existing space to house a Cystoscopy Suite (for urology
clinics).

Also part of the design process were teams involved in the creation of a
new Facilities Management department and modifications to the Hotel
Dieu Gift Shop.

In addition to these groups, the standard project facility design team was
engaged to ensure that maintenance, housekeeping, information
technology, security/life safety, infection control and occupational health
and safety requirements were incorporated into the sketch plan
documents.

The redevelopment project is expected to go to tender by early 2010 and
construction to begin in April 2010. The completion date is set for Fall
2011.

Watch our two minute web feature