The SickKids Foundation and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, Canada, held an official groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate first steps toward building a new SickKids. Ceremonial groundbreaking on the site of what will become the new Patient Support Centre (PSC) began last week.
The site of the new Patient Support Centre initially housed SickKids’ Elizabeth McMaster building, an eight-story laboratory and administrative building built in 1987. For the greater part of this year, SickKids has been demolishing the Elizabeth McMaster building, working to reach ground level so they could begin the redevelopment.
SickKids’ campus redevelopment project, known as Project Horizon, will result in the renewal or renovation of virtually all clinical care and support areas of the hospital. Last week’s groundbreaking marks the first critical phase. The Patient Support Centre will house SickKids Learning Institute, which supports over 1,000 trainees, students and learners annually; a Simulation Centre for hands-on teaching; bright, modern workspace for professionals, management and support staff, as well as a variety of collaboration and activity spaces accessible to all staff from across the campus.
Another key phase, The Peter Gilgan Family Patient Care Tower, will house critical care and inpatient units. It will reflect the latest in medical design, including: a renewed focus on privacy for patients and families; dedicated mental-health beds; a state-of-the-art blood and marrow transplant/cellular therapy unit; specialized operating theaters; advanced diagnostic imaging facilities; and a vastly expanded emergency department.
