Another milestone has been achieved on Hôpital Montfort's major redevelopment project. Construction is more than 50 per cent complete and exterior structural work on the new east and west wings is finished.
Ottawa-Vanier MPP Madeline Meilleur, Ottawa-Orleans MPP Phil McNeely and Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP Jean-Marc Lalonde joined Hôpital Montfort's CEO Gerald Savoie and Vice-Chair Pierre Lefebvre on a site tour today to see the progress first hand.
“It is remarkable that in just over one year, the construction has progressed so rapidly,” said MPP Meilleur. “We are tremendously excited and encouraged by everyone's dedication to this redevelopment project and I'm confident it will remain on schedule for completion in 2009.”
To date, more than 21,000 cubic metres of concrete has been poured and 3,150 tonnes of steel rebar have been installed creating an additional 420,000 square feet at the hospital. Once construction is completed, the hospital's functional space will more than double from its current size to 750,000 square feet.
The new west wing is a three-storey facility which will house the Diagnostic Imaging Department, the Intensive Care Unit and the maternity and mental health programs. The new east wing has six storeys, four of which will be occupied by the Department of National Defence to treat members of the Canadian Forces. The two remaining floors will house teaching facilities, an auditorium and ambulatory care clinics
Renovations to the existing hospital will commence upon completion of the new wings. The Emergency Department will almost triple in size from its current 8,000 square feet to 22,000 square feet and will result in a 73 per cent increase in patient capacity. This enhancement will alleviate pressure on the emergency department, providing better access to emergency service in the region.
Other service improvements include an expanded maternity program with a 120 per cent increase in the capacity for births, an 84 per cent increase in the capacity for ambulatory care visits and the ability to conduct 60 per cent more surgeries as a result of an enlarged surgical suite.
At project completion, Hôpital Montfort will have the capacity of 289 beds including more beds in acute care, intensive care and mental health programs, four more operating rooms and approximately 400 more staff.
An innovative redesign has incorporated current best practices on natural lighting and patient care. The new hospital design will play a major role in therapy and patient recovery.
“The universe does unfold as it should,” said Hôpital Montfort President and CEO Gérald Savoie. “The government has shown great leadership in moving forward on Montfort, a hospital that was on the brink of closure only ten years ago. It is very rewarding for those people who have chosen to pursue their careers at Montfort and for the Franco-Ontarian community to witness the impressive results of their own proven commitment.”
Currently, the Hôpital Montfort project provides employment for more than 300 construction workers.
Infrastructure Ontario will continue to work with Hôpital Montfort to redevelop the hospital, which will remain publicly owned, publicly controlled and publicly accountable. Infrastructure Ontario is a Crown corporation dedicated to managing some of the province's larger and more complex infrastructure renewal projects-ensuring they are built on time and on budget.
This project is guided by principles outlined in the Province's Building a Better Tomorrow framework, which ensures public ownership of core assets such as hospitals, schools, and water and wastewater facilities. The Hôpital Montfort is one of many hospitals being upgraded and modernized under ReNew Ontario, the government's five-year, $30-billion plus public infrastructure investment plan.
Visit www.infrastructureontario.ca for more information.
Contacts:
Amy Tang
Minister's Office
Public Infrastructure Renewal
416 325-4048
Terence Foran
Infrastructure Ontario
416 325-2939
Michel Tremblay
Hôpital Montfort
613-746-4621, Ext. 2003
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