The Michael Lee-Chin and Family Patient Tower at Burlington’s Joseph Brant Hospital officially opened on October 12, marking the end of Ontario’s 2017 construction season.
The 425,000-square-foot, seven-storey tower will provide an additional 172 beds and includes a new emergency department, two new operating rooms, expanded cancer care, an intensive care unit, and recovery and inpatient units. Smart systems technology will make it easier for hospital staff to provide faster triage, shorter emergency room wait times and a better standard of care. Seventy per cent of patient beds are located in single-patient rooms, compared to 15 per cent before the hospital’s redevelopment.
“After years of planning, I am thrilled to see the opening of this new, state-of-the-art patient tower,” said Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, in a press release. “Our investment in the redevelopment and renovation of Joseph Brant Hospital will reduce wait times and help us continue to provide high-quality health care close to home for people in Burlington and the surrounding area.”
Ontario is contributing about $371 million in the Joseph Brant Hospital redevelopment project. As part of the 2017 Budget, an additional $9 billion was committed to support hospital construction projects across the province, bringing the total planned hospital infrastructure investments to more than $20 billion over the next 10 years.
