A New Building for Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Canada
July 16, 2010
 |
|
Preliminary rendering of the new Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Canada |
On July 15, Shriners Hospitals for Children® leadership, along with key partners, assembled to give a progress report on the construction plans for a new hospital facility in Montreal. During the press conference, Douglas Maxwell, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Shriners Hospitals for Children®, confirmed plans to construct a new hospital on the Glen Campus adjacent to the Montreal Children’s Hospital (MCH) of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). Preliminary renderings of the new hospital were revealed to media and assembled supporters of Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Canada. Several government officials, including Health Minister Yves Bolduc, Normand Rinfret, Associate Director General of the MUHC, and Richard Deschamps, Member of the Executive Committee, Responsible for Economic Development, Infrastructure and Roads - City of Montreal, were also present.
Following his report to Shriners during the 136th Imperial Session recently held in Toronto, Maxwell said Shriners Hospitals for Children® will address three hospital structures this year: Los Angeles, St. Louis and Montreal. Maxwell further explained that in the past few months, since the MUHC has announced their choice of consortia and the beginning construction, the planning process and collaborative effort between Shriners Hospitals for Children® and the MUHC had moved rapidly. “The Canadian Hospital has been given the green light to go ahead with planning, fundraising and construction,” said Maxwell.
Robert Drummond, M.D., Chairman of the Board of Governors at Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Canada said “the new hospital will have 22 single patient rooms, four operating rooms as well as 25,000 square feet dedicated to research.” The new space will allow the hospital to continue to improve care for patients by providing a new environment that will enhance family-focused care. Close proximity to the MCH will facilitate shared services. Increased space will allow for state of the art rehabilitation facilities, including a gait laboratory.
“We foresee that this new location will allow us to continue to recruit and retain some of the best pediatric orthopaedic surgeons, researchers and allied health care professionals so that we may continue to offer the best possible care to children from Quebec, Canada and around the world,” said Drummond.
Hon. Arthur T. Porter, MUHC Director General and CEO, also spoke at the press conference, adding, “This announcement is not only about a new hospital but also the enrichment of exceptional pediatric orthopaedic care and research, and the strengthening of our longstanding ties with this fine institution’s professionals and patients. For me, personally, as a Mason for 35 years and a Shriner for more than 20 – most recently as a proud member of Karnak in Montreal – this milestone embodies the spirit of fraternity upon which freemasonry was developed more than three hundred years ago.”
Former Chairman of the Board of Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Canada, Gary Morrison was also present, and added “We have known for some time that a new hospital was needed and we have focused our efforts on making this become a reality for our patients. Even with the expansion of the hospital in the mid-1980s services have simply outgrown the current facilities. Our outpatient and day surgery areas simply no longer adequately meet the demand and our research unit has also outgrown its space.”
And finally, "The presence of a Shriners Hospitals for Children® in our city has always been a great source of pride. This is not just another hospital. It is a great ambassador for Montreal and for Quebec,” said Richard Deschamps, member of the Executive Committee, and Responsible for Economic Development, Infrastructure and Roads of the City of Montreal. “The development of the new Shriners Hospital confirms the leadership of our city in the areas of health and biomedical science. We are pleased to see this project move forward due to the collective effort of all partners."