Released on April 30, 2013
Government demonstrated its continued support for the Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan with design development approval today.
After months of intensive work, the Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan project team created a detailed design that will best meet the needs of patients and health care professionals, while incorporating detailed population forecasting to ensure the facility will meet the needs of a growing city and province.
“I am very pleased to see this important step forward in our journey toward a state-of-the-art maternal and children’s hospital in Saskatchewan,” Health Minister Dustin Duncan said. “I applaud the significant work undertaken by patients, families, staff and physicians, through the lens of ‘Patient First’. Their efforts have resulted in a design that exemplifies patient and family-centred care, and that truly puts the needs of patients first.”
The work completed during design development builds on the early design of the hospital approved last July and adds in the details such as how patient rooms and family areas will be set up throughout the hospital. When parent Tara Johnson first sat down with staff, doctors and architects to begin designing the details for the new maternal and children’s hospital, she had a long list of wants.
“I was so happy to see that everything I had dreamed of, and more, was already included in the early design of the hospital,” Johnson said. “I was also so honoured that the design team took my suggestions to heart as we dove into the details. I will never forget one discussion about nursing stations and I mentioned maybe parents would like a clear line of sight to the nursing station. I had some ideas on how to make this happen and was explaining these to the team, when the architect handed me his pen and said, ‘Here, show me on the plans what you are seeing.’ I took his pen, and drew what I was picturing on the floor plan. That idea became part of the plan.”
The project team spent eight months working with design teams in Saskatoon which included staff, physicians and families. Four week-long sessions had teams closely examining the layout of each room in the building to determine how each would be set up, from location of gases and clinical equipment to family space within the room. Teams of families also worked on the layout of the lobby and the numerous dedicated family spaces throughout the hospital.
“We are very excited to receive approval from the government through the Ministry of Health and have the project reach this important milestone,” Saskatoon Regional Health Authority Chair Jim Rhode said. “Over the past months, the design teams, including families, have given an incredible amount of energy and time to make decisions about thousands of details. Their commitment, passion and dedication to complete this phase of work have brought us a clear picture of what this hospital will look like inside and out. It is a design that will truly reflect the cultural and regional diversity of this province. Thank you for all you have given and all you continue to give to make this hospital a reality.”
To ensure the hospital truly reflected the needs and wants of Saskatchewan, the project team had reached out provincially to gather input from children, teenagers and families through classroom-based and mail-in design activities, community design sessions, on-line surveys and an open house. Design ideas were also gathered from current pediatric patients at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon and members of Saskatoon’s newcomers’ community.
“What we learned through this phase of work was remarkable, and this input helped shape the interior and exterior design,” Saskatoon Health Region’s VP Integrated Health Services and executive sponsor of Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan Jackie Mann said. “We learned children, teenagers and families want to feel some of ‘home’ in the building while incorporating natural light with bright colours and patterns. We also learned that what’s important in this hospital went beyond paint colours and images. We were clearly told it’s the quality of care patients and families receive, the respect they are shown and the ability to include families as part of the care team that will truly make this hospital exceptional.”
Today, work continues to move the design forward for additional approvals. The new facility will sit on University of Saskatchewan lands and will border the river valley. In March, the project team received Development Review approval from Meewasin Valley Authority. The project team will also be taking the Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan project for Development Review approval to the June 2013 meeting of the University of Saskatchewan Board of Governors.
Through the rest of 2013, the project team will complete construction documents from the design plans. These will add the final mechanical, electrical and structural details and will give contractors the information they need to build the hospital. The team will also be working with staff, physicians and families to finalize the interior colours and textures. This work will provide the last details needed to create the final image of the new hospital. Construction is scheduled to start early 2014 with completion late 2016.
The approved project budget remains at the July 2012 government-approved funding of $229.9 million.
For more information on the hospital including floor plans and design videos, visit www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/chs.
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For more information, contact:
Linda Walker
Saskatoon Health Region
Saskatoon
Phone: 306-655-3476
Tyler McMurchy
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083