Located in a picturesque setting near the Niagara Escarpment in Hamilton, Chedoke opened in 1906 as a sanatorium for patients suffering from Tuberculosis. Much has changed since then, and today, Chedoke is home to a number of health care related specialty programs and services.
Hamilton Health Sciences' Chfedoke site houses non-acute care programs in a campus setting on Hamilton's west mountain. A leading Prosthetics and Orthotics Department and several McMaster Children's Hospital (MCH) outpatient services are located at Chedoke.
Chedoke continues to evolve and change to meet the health care needs of residents of Hamilton and the region. As redevelopment continues at many of Hamilton Health Sciences' hospital locations, Chedoke will become a major support site for non-acute care programs and hospital administration to allow for further consolidation of specialized services across all hospital sites.
Upon approval from the Ministry of Health & Long Term Care, future redevelopment plans for the Chedoke site will include significant renovation and expansion of existing buildings as well as the construction of a new Ambulatory Centre for Developmental Pediatrics and Rehabilitation, which will house a Child & Youth Mental Health Program, Autism, Audiology and a Prosthetics and Orthotics Department. This new purpose-built facility will be ready for habitation in 2012.
Most of the rehabilitation and acquired brain injury services previously located in 14 different buildings across the city, including Chedoke, moved into the brand new Regional Rehabilitation Centre located at the Hamilton General site in September 2009. This consolidation into a new three-storey, 106,000 square foot building allows for better patient access to diagnostic imaging and other vital hospital resources that serve the rehabilitation and acquired brain injury patient population.
St Joseph's Centre for Mountain Health Services located on West 5th Street and Fennell Ave. West is a secondary location for the Acquired Brain Injury Program.
Regional Joint Assessment Program
The Regional Joint Assessment Program (RJAC), located at the Chedoke site, is a centre of excellence that treats patients suffering from pain and decreased mobility caused by bone and joint problems. While there are many causes of joint pain, one of the most common reasons that people have hip or knee pain is due to arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and has significant impact on quality of life, which may lead to varying degrees of disability.
In 2007, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care provided funding for Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joseph's Hospital to establish the Regional Joint Assessment Program. The RJAC focuses on patients with mild, moderate and controlled chronic joint pain. Its overall goal is to help patients preserve joint function, prevent disability and manage pain.
RJAC patients are seen by members of the health care team, which include a physician experienced in the treatment of osteoarthritis, advanced practice physiotherapy practitioners, a nurse practitioner, and a registered practical nurse.
Patients take part in an assessment of their physical function, a clinical examination, diagnostic imaging, and laboratory investigations to assess and develop a customized treatment plan.
Patients need a referral from their family doctor to attend the RJAC and services are fully covered by OHIP.
For more information, please visit http://www.replacemyjoint.ca/