Business community champions Juravinski Hospital rebuilding project
The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce has joined voices calling for Hamilton Health Sciences’ Juravinski Hospital (JH) to be modernized and rebuilt.
“The hospital redevelopment project will have a massive positive impact on our economic future,” says Greg Dunnett, the chamber’s president and CEO, adding that the chamber represents more than 1,000 local businesses and 75,000 employees.
“It’s going to have a really incredible economic impact in the short term, in terms of construction jobs, and in the long term when it comes to ensuring that we have the resources available to recruit the top health-care professionals in Canada, right here in Hamilton.”
The JH redevelopment project is vital to the city’s goal of growing its population to 850,000 by the year 2050, adds Dunnett. “We need to make sure we have the infrastructure in place to have a thriving, vibrant community and this project will be a core aspect of Hamilton’s future.”
Hamilton Health Sciences is committed to rebuilding the older sections of JH, which is a collection of buildings constructed over the last century and connected by a patchwork of hallways, walkways and tunnels.
The plan includes tearing down a large stretch of JH facing the escarpment – the M, L, H, E sections — and the F section which adjoins E, and replacing them with a state-of-the-art patient-care addition. The redevelopment of JH is the single-largest health infrastructure investment in our organization’s history and will also make JH the largest acute inpatient hospital in our region.
Hospital rooms in JH’s old wards are small, cramped, and mostly shared with up to four people to a room. On most units, there is only one shower for about 40 patients. Nursing stations are poorly located and inefficiently designed; there’s a shortage of storage space; elevators break down and some are even too small to fit stretchers. And none of these older sections have air conditioning.
These older wards offer a mix of cramped single, double and four-bed patient rooms. Some double rooms were originally built as singles, so they’re especially small, with little space for walkers, wheelchairs, medical equipment and for nurses to manoeuvre around patients’ beds.
The new sections, when built, will feature room for 100 patients more than today, with 70 per cent more space for care. All patient rooms will be single occupancy, with private washrooms that include a shower and more room for walkers, wheelchairs, and other equipment.
Hallways will be larger and elevators that can easily accommodate a stretcher. The new section will also feature modern ventilation, heating and air-conditioning systems.
“This project will allow us to recruit businesses looking for world-class cities with world-class amenities that will make Hamilton their home going forward,” says Dunnett.
The JH redevelopment project is expected to take place in phases, over several years. The longer we wait, the farther we will fall behind.
The Province of Ontario agrees that the oldest hospitals need to be replaced. But in order to get provincial investment, we need the City of Hamilton to financially commit to the project as well.
Add your name to a petition in support of a new Juravinski Hospital.
