County’s new hospital now about 35 per cent complete

Story and photos by Sharon Harrison
“Within about a three-year period, we are going to go from being one of the oldest hospitals, with still writing on paper charts, to having this brand-new, tech-forward hospital, so it’s a really exciting time with a lot of changes happening really quickly,” said physician Dr. Noah Walman. “It has been improving our life, and will continue to improve our life.”

Scheduling and budgeting are on schedule, in part due to the hot, dry summer, with opening day expected in early 2028. The substantial completion date is still scheduled for early 2027, which will be followed by a period of transition, and the new facility is to be completed and open in early 2028.

Change can be observed almost daily at the site and a sense of excitement is building as the new facility begins to resemble an actual structure as the second floor takes shape.

Residents are encouraged to go take a look if they haven’t already. The Picton clinic parking lot just off Main Street provides a good, safe viewpoint to see the new building up close and watch the construction in real-time.

“Some staff have told me they come early to the hospital before their shifts so they can walk around the parking lot and really take a look,” shared Stacey Daub, president and CEO of Quinte Health. “What they tell me is they just can’t believe how incredibly fast the progress is in terms of seeing the mass timber go up.”

“It’s absolutely beautiful,” added Shannon Coull, Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation (PECMHF) executive director. “I encourage all of you to go to the parking lot behind the clinic and walk up to the fence and witness it close: it’s just incredible in person. Become familiar: we want you to have a sense of pride like we do, and a sense of ownership over this project.”

Details on the new hospital’s progress were provided by Quinte Health this week during a virtual update, along with a preview of what will happen over the fall and winter months. Around 30 people participated in the virtual update. This was the second such update, the first was held in February. 

The update was led by Daub, with remarks from Lina Rinaldi, vice-president and chief nursing executive with Quinte Health, Chad Cranley, director of redevelopment and facilities at Quinte Health, physician Dr. Noah Walman, and Coull.

“Today is all about celebration of the progress on our new hospital,” said Daub. “We feel that we are really building something special here; we are building a modern, patient-focused hospital designed for people who live, work and who also visit this part of Ontario.”

She recalled how the mass timber arrived in late June, and how the second storey is now taking shape, describing it as a “powerful visual” of what’s coming with the mass timber. She reminded how it is the first hospital in North America to be built using encapsulated mass timber, which she said speaks to the innovation and the care behind the project.

“To see the mass timber and the wood and to imagine that’s what you are going to see when you are inside the building when you are in a patient’s room, I think that’s pretty incredible, a first.”

Daub also spoke to the demand for hospital services locally, how the need is growing, and how the emergency department services in particular have been growing and have become more complex.

The County’s emergency department saw almost 23,000 visitors this year, an increase of about 25 per cent from a decade ago, something Daub described as “considerable growth”. She explained the reasons for the increase include a growing County, but also an aging County where she said they can expect to see demand on hospitals increase over time.

She also reminded that Prince Edward County has one of the oldest populations in Ontario. Over 35 per cent of the residents who live in the County are 65 years and older, and the median age is about 16 years higher than the provincial average.

“The reality, along with the tens of thousands of visitors we serve, is it makes the County such a vital life-saving hospital, especially as we modernize and expand our capacity to diagnostic services, like a CT scan, diagnostic imaging and enhanced out-patient care.”

Rinaldi spoke in detail about the system integrations, how the new facility will enhance the quality of care and transform the patient experience.

The patient centre will be designed with private patient rooms with individual dedicated bathrooms for privacy, and enhanced infection control which Rinaldi described as a “game changer” for limiting the spread of infections and ensuring a safer environment for all. Patient rooms currently are semi-private (two people) with separation from the other patient provided by a curtain, along with a shared bathroom.

Lina Rinaldi

“The thoughtfully-designed healing spaces will provide natural light and space that will provide comfort, preserve dignity and promote recovery and a better overall experience,” said Rinaldi. “It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity for us to re-imagine how we deliver healthcare and transform the patient experience in several key ways.”

Some of the room enhancements will include in-room thermostats which patients and families can control, operable windows which are integrated with the HVAC system, and side controls for lighting and shades.

“Patients can adjust their own lighting and blinds, and it’s all very much maintaining independence and comfort. And patients can communicate directly through a two-way call system, addressing less need for unnecessary trips to patient rooms.”

The rooms will be sound absorbing walls for improved privacy and comfort for conversation, and there will be smart technology, including call systems with two-way audio and electronic boards outside the rooms displaying essential patient precautions for visitors (laminated paper on walls is used now).

“The amenities are going to be top-notch and modern and we are really excited about really looking at more comfortable furniture, soothing colour schemes complementing the natural mass timber design and the natural light coming in to really promote a calming atmosphere for healing and reducing anxiety.”

There will also be quiet zones with gardens and family lounges offering places of respite for patients and their families, along with a private room for breast feeding.

“Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital is going to a symbol of environmental stewardship with solar panels, geo-thermal heating and cooling, honouring our responsibility to future generations while creating a warming, natural environment for healing,” said Rinaldi.

Accessibility and inclusion standards will be met as modern standards will accommodate patients with mobility and other accessibility challenges. And signage is to be easy for patients and families to navigate the hospital, with wayfinding to include accessible design features, including Braille.

Rinaldi noted the improved environment also benefits staff in a better workflow experience.

“The current space is very crowded and not conducive for private conversations and having a great workspace, so we really want to help our healthcare professionals perform at their best which directly benefits patient care.”

She said the new hospital layout will improve the flow of care and have modern clinical infrastructure to enable better coordination among staff ensuring that patients receive the care from admission to discharge more seamlessly and efficiently.

“We are going to have smart technology including equipment tracking to ensure that staff don’t waste valuable time looking for things that they need for patient care,” explained Rinaldi. “We are going to have enhanced patient navigation and dignity with clear separation of public, patient and staff-only areas to minimize exposure to potentially disturbing situations.”

There will be secure paths for sensitive activities, for transferring patients for example, to diagnostic imaging, so that they are going to be routed through non-public areas. Also, enhanced safety and security enhancements with new modern systems to protect patients and visitors while maintaining a welcoming environment and real-time locating systems for patients.

“Our current workspace for our staff is not up to par where we would like it to be, limiting workflow and collaboration. We have time wasted searching for equipment in our current space, public and staff areas inter mingle reducing privacy and dignity. We have limited security systems for patient and staff safety.“

Implementing a CT scanner at the new hospital will offer faster, life-saving diagnostics for conditions like pulmonary embolisms or trauma, meaning patients can receive care closer to home avoiding the stress of unnecessary transfers to more quickly transfer patients once a diagnosis is made, explained Rinaldi.

“We are going to have quick, accurate, timely diagnosis, improved emergency care with early detection, reducing delays in treatment and care, early detection to identify things like cancers, tumours and abnormalities, really helping us with planning, whether its surgery or therapy or what the next steps are for patient care.”

She said they will be able to track disease progression and treatment effectiveness more readily supporting faster less invasive and faster diagnosis for vulnerable patients, such as pediatric and elderly patients.

“The versatility of having a CT scanner to evaluate brain, chest, abdomen, pelvis and muscular skeletal system will be available, and most importantly, it is local access will avoids the need for transfers, the need for travel to other facilities, really speeding-up care and diagnosis.”

Rinaldi noted how they have been recruiting with “the same unwavering determination that made the new hospital a reality, through collaboration, determination and a shared purpose of creating healthier communities together”.

She said while many other small hospitals in rural Ontario struggle with staffing, PECMH is fortunate to have relatively stable staffing levels with a high retention rate, at this time.

“The County is a very desirable place to work and place to live and the new state-of-the-art hospital will not only enhance patient care, but also be a beacon for health care professionals, a top-tier facility to work in. The CT scanner will also be a significant draw to clinicians dedicated to offering comprehensive care.”

Dr. Noah Walman

From the recruitment perspective, physician Dr. Noah Walman said potential new recruits don’t come here solely because it will soon have a new hospital, “But it really doesn’t hurt. It’s a nice thing to show them around Prince Edward County, show them the out-patient and then bring them to our beautiful new hospital, or even now, this is the hospital that we are building, that will really help us in recruitment.”

Walman shared his perspective, and that of some of his colleagues, on what they are most looking forward to with the new hospital, where he said there is a lot of excitement, with one of the biggest factors being the new CT scanner, something he described as an “enormous win” for the County. He said bringing patients back and forth to Belleville all day is a huge strain on resources.

“From our perspective, it’s just amazing, it’s such a positive thing; it can’t come soon enough.”

He also spoke to how the physical space currently is very cramped, both in the emergency room and in-patient.

“Having that extra space in the emergency room and in the in-patient floor will be really key to our workflow, and just being able to work more efficient, another thing we are really looking forward to,” said Walman.

He said, another big change for them will be the private rooms upstairs.

“I just can’t stress enough from the infection control perspective, it’s very, very challenging, so having that will improve the patient and physician experience, but also the general climate and the general environment will be so much more pleasant.”

As for the projected opening date, the substantial completion date is still scheduled for early 2027, followed by a period of transition to allow for Quinte Health to get in and plan the switch-over from one hospital to the other.

This will be followed by demolition of the existing hospital, and creation of a new parking lot, landscaping, etc., with the new facility to be completed and open in early 2028.

Coull noted how so far $26.5 million has been raised by the community toward the $30 million. goal, leaving $3.5 million left to raise in the next two years.

The next update on progress of the new hospital build is expected to come in April.

Information on the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation Back the Build campaign, and ways to donate, can be found at pecmhf.ca.

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Chad Cranley, Quinte Health’s director of redevelopment and facilities provided an update on some elements of the design and development, going into detail with what’s been done so far, what’s being done now, and what’s coming up, as well as sharing information on what happens at the construction site over the winter period.

Chad Cranley

-To date, more than 600 columns and beams have been placed, and just over 100 cross-laminated timber floor and roof panels have been positioned.
-728 mass timber elements have been framed into place and they are held together with thousands of carefully engineered pins, bolts and screws.
This represents about half of the structural elements necessary to complete the project.

The timber used is 100 per cent Canadian-made, black spruce harvested in northern Quebec, manufactured and shipped from the construction site from the Nordic Structures plant in Montréal.

The project is being constructed in four zones:
South-east quadrant (out-patient unit and dialysis unit)
North-east quadrant (emergency department)
North-west quadrant (in-patient unit)
South-west quadrant (support services and maintenance facilities).

“Obviously, the mass timbers is our crown jewel, but there are a number of other milestones we have reached for the last few months.”

-90 geo-thermal wells and horizontal piping system (more than 100,000 feet of tubing)
“It covers a large area beneath the building, as well as all of our all foundations that support the mass timber are complete in all the quadrants now.“

Speaking to what’s happening now, Cranley said the mass timber will continue to be installed in the north-west quadrant of the building which is where the 23 in-patient units will be located.

He said it will be important to get services in before the bad weather comes and the exterior envelope will be enclosed in four phases, and should be complete by the Christmas holidays so that it is water tight with protective measures that will allow for the space to be heated and for internal works to commence.

“Looking ahead, the objective is to get all quadrants of the building closed in and ready for adding services. It will all be supported by temporary heat throughout the winter months.”

“We have been very fortunate that we have not seen any significant obstacles at this point, and our project is meeting the scheduling and budgeting goals, which is a very good thing as we reach the 35 per cent point threshold for the construction project,” shared Cranley.