[Halifax] QE II Health Sciences Centre | ? | ? | U/C

[q12]

This is a $2-billion redevelopment that is long overdue. Construction should start in 2020.



• Video Link

The redevelopment of the QEII Health Sciences Centre is a once in a generation opportunity to rebuild and improve the way health care is delivered in Nova Scotia.

Today, Oct. 4, government and the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) unveiled a milestone in the redevelopment of the QEII Health Sciences Centre. The QEII New Generation project will result in better care, reduced wait times and cancer services offered at one location.

A major expansion of the Halifax Infirmary site is the biggest component of the project.

“The Halifax Infirmary is the heart of the redevelopment of the QEII,” said Premier Stephen McNeil. “The new facilities will have the most advanced equipment and technology to handle the most complex care in Atlantic Canada. This will help reduce wait times, provide continuous uninterrupted care, as well as help recruit and retain doctors, nurses and other health professionals.”

The expansion of the Halifax Infirmary site will include:

• a new QEII Cancer Centre that provides all cancer care services in one location. Services will be relocated from the VG site to the Halifax Infirmary site.
• an expanded inpatient care centre with over 600 hospital beds, 28 operating rooms, 33 intensive care beds and 15 intermediate care beds.
• a new outpatient centre that will deliver services that do not require an overnight stay in the hospital, bringing clinics together in one location, and be home to the QEII Eye Care Centre.
• a new innovation and learning centre that will see three learning and training labs together under one roof to support distance education and strengthen the QEII Health Sciences Centre’s research and teaching mandate.

Dr. Drew Bethune, medical director, provincial cancer care program, NSHA, highlighted the importance of providing all cancer care services at one site.

“Right now, some of our sickest patients are being transferred from one site to another for treatment,” said Dr. Bethune. “Offering everything at one location means that will no longer be necessary. The new centre will also lead the way for innovation and research in cancer treatment.”
The QEII New Generation project also includes the development of a new community outpatient centre in Bayers Lake. It will offer a more convenient location for the thousands of Nova Scotians who have to travel to Halifax for certain care or services. Most of these services will also remain at the Halifax Infirmary site for people who live in Halifax and will continue to use the Infirmary as a community hospital.

“The QEII Health Sciences Centre is a resource for all Nova Scotians – and indeed Atlantic Canadians,” said NSHA president and CEO Janet Knox. “In addition to providing excellent care, the QEII is a leading academic and research institution supporting the development of future health professionals and shaping the future of health-care delivery through world-class research and innovation. This plan will ensure we’re better positioned to do all of that and more today and for generations to come.”
Funding for construction to expand the Halifax Infirmary site and develop the community outpatient centre in Bayers Lake will be through a public-private-partnership (P3) using the design-build-finance-maintain model. A request for qualifications will be issued this fall for a partner to do the design build, finance and maintenance of the project over a 30-year period.

Other components of the QEII New Generation project, like the expansion and renovations to the Dartmouth General Hospital, are well underway. Renovations of an unused operating room and existing operating room at the Hants Community Hospital in Windsor were completed in February 2018.

The redevelopment of the QEII Health Sciences Centre will support the eventual closure of the Centennial, Victoria and Dickson buildings.

https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20181004001

[mleblanc]

Looks awesome. Not sure how true the "renderings" are, but this is the best orientation of the siteplan I can get:

[someone123]

This is outside of the HRM by Design planning area. Will it be included in the Centre Plan? I wonder if they will follow HRM by Design level urban design guidelines, or if it will be a giant inward-facing bunker? I realize that a hospital complex design is likely to be highly constrained but I bet a lot can be done to make it look and function better than what was built in the 70's and 80's.

The corner building at Bell Road and Summer Street is going to be prominent.

I wonder if the St. Pat's redevelopment will get going around the same time or if that will turn into another Bloomfield. This area might change really quickly.

[MonctonRad]

Well, so much for the community garden.

Seriously though, as a healthcare professional, this is the only way to go. The VGH was already an old hospital when I was a medical student there, and I'm 61 years old now!!!

All tertiary services should be in a single location - no question.

a $2B project!! Wow. I knew when they eventually did this the cost would be well north of a billion, but I didn't think it would be as much as two billion. No wonder they're going for a triple-P model for construction.........

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Well, so much for the community garden.

Seriously though, as a healthcare professional, this is the only way to go. The VGH was already an old hospital when I was a medical student there, and I'm 61 years old now!!!

All tertiary services should be in a single location - no question.

a $2B project!! Wow. I knew when they eventually did this the cost would be well north of a billion, but I didn't think it would be as much as two billion. No wonder they're going for a triple-P model for construction.........

It has been very interesting to see how this has all played out on the ground as well. Ultimately it clearly will be a very good thing, and it is absolutely the right thing to do to have all these tertiary level services centralized. But boy... it is going to be a challenge keeping things running smoothly while it all plays out. Operating a hospital while you are building a hospital around it is making for some interesting challenges. We are already getting a taste of it with all the redevelopment that is already taking place within the current footprint (moving the interventional suites etc) in anticipation of the bigger scale new footprint work that was announced. As you and I both know, Monctonrad, a healthcare system change on this scale is going to be interesting!

[JET]

Announcing the building of hospitals, isn't that something that usually happens just before an election call?

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by beyeas

it is absolutely the right thing to do to have all these tertiary level services centralized. But boy... it is going to be a challenge keeping things running smoothly while it all plays out. Operating a hospital while you are building a hospital around it is making for some interesting challenges. We are already getting a taste of it with all the redevelopment that is already taking place within the current footprint (moving the interventional suites etc) in anticipation of the bigger scale new footprint work that was announced. As you and I both know, Monctonrad, a healthcare system change on this scale is going to be interesting!

Indeed.

Critically ill patients often require a team approach for their management, with interdisciplinary cooperation and frequent case conferences. Sub specialization improves patient care, but as physicians travel down that particular path, they become hyperfocussed, and rely on other subspecialists to manage the patient in totality.

For example a trauma patient with multiple fractures and muscle contusions causing myolysis and myoglobinuria resulting in acute renal failure, also significant chest trauma leading to myocardial contusion which physiologically mimics a myocardial infarction, and pulmonary contusion which can lead to ARDS. All of a sudden this patient can require orthopods, nephrologists, cardiologists and repirologists, let alone general surgeons, intensivists, traumatologists, interventional radiologists etc.

These patients need to be managed in a comprehensive tertiary care hospital providing all services on site. The new expanded Infirmary should shine for this type of stuff.

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Indeed.

Critically ill patients often require a team approach for their management, with interdisciplinary cooperation and frequent case conferences. Sub specialization improves patient care, but as physicians travel down that particular path, they become hyperfocussed, and rely on other subspecialists to manage the patient in totality.

For example a trauma patient with multiple fractures and muscle contusions causing myolysis and myoglobinuria resulting in acute renal failure, also significant chest trauma leading to myocardial contusion which physiologically mimics a myocardial infarction, and pulmonary contusion which can lead to ARDS. All of a sudden this patient can require orthopods, nephrologists, cardiologists and repirologists, let alone general surgeons, intensivists, traumatologists, interventional radiologists etc.

These patients need to be managed in a comprehensive tertiary care hospital providing all services on site. The new expanded Infirmary should shine for this type of stuff.

I'm hoping later this fall to make a announcement on a major R&D project I'm driving forward on MR imaging in acute care. It will be a really cool project looking ultimately on health system wide outcome measures as the potential impact of the new technology, and one of the best parts is that it will cost the Dept of Health a grand total of $0 over the 4 year project in large part because of the significant private funding investment I've got coming into this. Once I am able to say more I'll send it your way, as it will be an interesting example of trying out a totally different approach to patient management for neuro cases in the ED. It's a cool opportunity for the QEII to be doing "first in patients" testing in partnership with the medical industry.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Well, so much for the community garden.

My fear is that those nutbars will demand a big chunk of the VG site for that purpose once it is leveled. And our HRM Council will probably think that is a good idea.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

My fear is that those nutbars will demand a big chunk of the VG site for that purpose once it is leveled. And our HRM Council will probably think that is a good idea.

A lot of the historical arguments about the Commons are weak. They were common land for grazing animals hundreds of years ago when Halifax was a small town. That doesn't mean that the uses today should be similar.

The idea that a parking lot for a hospital is somehow in keeping with the sacredness of this land because it is a "public" use (whereas a parking lot of a privately operated hospital would be inappropriate for example) is a bit silly.

The city should look at the planning needs of today and consider what level of investment it wants to put into parkland and what the opportunity costs are.

[pblaauw]

Is the parkade coming down, or are they going to build on top of it?

[teddifax]

It looks like they will maximize the space and build on top of the parkade. I am wondering what will happen to the Old QE2 site? If they were to sell this site, I am sure the real estate would be worth in the 10's of millions if not 100's of millions as this is PRIME real estate and could very well be a big part of paying for the new hospital.I will go ever further and suggest they do what some churches have done and lease the land on a 99 year lease, rather than sell the land outright, thereby having a permanent income.

[JET]

Originally Posted by teddifax

It looks like they will maximize the space and build on top of the parkade. I am wondering what will happen to the Old QE2 site? If they were to sell this site, I am sure the real estate would be worth in the 10's of millions if not 100's of millions as this is PRIME real estate and could very well be a big part of paying for the new hospital.I will go ever further and suggest they do what some churches have done and lease the land on a 99 year lease, rather than sell the land outright, thereby having a permanent income.

The VG site is common land, not for development.

[teddifax]

Citadel High was built on Common Land... unless there are plans for a major urban park, I can see this being allowed to be built on...

[JET]

Originally Posted by teddifax

Citadel High was built on Common Land... unless there are plans for a major urban park, I can see this being allowed to be built on...

Yes, non private public use buildings can be built on Common land, but privately owned buildings probably cannot. It is the nature of common land. Don't know if the land can even be swapped.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by JET

The VG site is common land, not for development.

But it has been developed for a century already.

[JET]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

But it has been developed for a century already.

Yes, for public use, not private use, despite having buildings it is not privately owned.
My sense of the use of the word development is that the development is privately owned.
So I don't use the term for public land, and things built on public land. Other folks might use it for any building being built.

[JET]

"Construction should start in 2020."

Sure they will, don't think any sane person would bet on that.

[sk8tr]

I think there's an interesting opportunity to reconnect Tower Road to Cathedral Lane, and break up the hospital megablock a bit. The parking lot land could be redeveloped in a variety of ways, but grassy field is not a great idea in my opinion. The land currently occupied by the VG and Bethune buildings is a pretty big footprint too, so there's opportunity there. I assume the Mackenzie and Dickson buildings will stay put for now?

[Keith P.]

This location is absolutely ludicrous. They are making patents - many of whom are disabled, have mobility issues, or who are suffering from heart, lung, pain, or other problems - walk up Summer St, cross over, navigate the entry courtyard of the QEII just to get into the main floor lobby which is largely unused. Even if they reconfigure that space to be the main registration point for clinic visits and the like this is still about as inconvenient a location for hospital parking as they could find. Surely to god something better than this could have been figured out. What are they thinking? Clearly they are not thinking about the patients.