Construction Officially Underway on New 80,000 sq. ft. Ambulatory Care Centre at QEH
May 20, 2010
For immediate release - from www.gov.pe.ca
Health and Wellness

Construction has officially started on the new 80,000 square foot Ambulatory Care Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), which will make services more accessible and easier to find for patients and their families, announced Premier Robert Ghiz and Health and Wellness Minister Carolyn Bertram at a sod-turning event.

“I am very pleased with the great strides taking place at the QEH through the various redevelopment projects,” said Premier Ghiz. “Improving and enhancing the provision of health care services for Islander remains a priority of government. The new Ambulatory Care Centre at the QEH is an example of one of the many accomplishments toward fulfilling that commitment.”

Ambulatory Care refers to the provision of same-day health care service that is scheduled and delivered on an outpatient basis (does not require an overnight stay in hospital). When completed, the Ambulatory Care Centre will house out-patient services in one area and include resources/services such as the asthma education centre, health information centre, eye clinic, blood collection, blood transfusion procedures, wound care, casting, administration of intravenous antibiotics, cardiac and respiratory diagnostic services (i.e. cardiac stress testing, electrocardiogram and lung function tests), endoscopy and cystoscopy services, hemodialysis service, and a shared clinic space to host specialty clinics such as orthopedics, urology and others.

“Centralizing out-patient services to one location within the hospital will allow for more effective and efficient provision of ambulatory care services,” said Carolyn Bertram, Minister of Health and Wellness. “It is exciting to see the progress our integrated health care system continues to make in providing services that are patient-focused. In addition to being more convenient for patients, the new Ambulatory Care Centre will also allow for greater staff efficiencies and help reduce pressures on the emergency department at the QEH, where some of these services are currently provided.”

As part of the changes taking place in association with construction of the new Ambulatory Care Centre, a newly designed front entrance and lobby area will be constructed. The new entrance will be much closer to the public parking lot, reducing the distance patients and visitors must walk from their car to the front door. The information desk and Admitting Department will be located closer to the entrance, and the QEH Foundation will be relocated to the main level where it will be more convenient to access compared to its current location on the hospital’s third floor. “The Ambulatory Care Centre is a huge and highly visible element of the redevelopment project at the QEH,” said Rick Adams, Executive Director of the QEH. “It is very rewarding to see the years of planning and hard work that staff have contributed to the design and functionality of the space coming to fruition. The changes taking place through redevelopment at the QEH will greatly assist our health care staff in providing quality health care now and into the future.”

The new Ambulatory Care Center is the second stage of Phase One of QEH Redevelopment. Stage two construction was initially planned to begin in the spring of 2012; however, government accelerated this stage and advanced construction of the new Ambulatory Care Centre by 18 months. It is expected to be completed in early 2012.