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IWK to get new unit, thanks to Armco

By JOHN GILLIS Health Reporter
Wed. Jan 28 - 5:50 AM
Construction will begin next month on a new medical in-patient unit for children and their families at the IWK Health Centre.

The renovation of the seventh floor of the 40-year-old children’s site at the Halifax hospital is part of a larger overhaul of the whole complex that started in 2005.

Design work for the seventh floor and a sixth-floor oncology unit were put on hold early last year when the large project went well over its original $48-million budget.

But plans for the medical unit are back on track.

Armco Capital, a Halifax development company owned by the Armoyan family, has pledged $750,000 to the IWK Foundation to finance the work.

The renovated floor will be a comfortable place for patients with conditions like cystic fibrosis, asthma and gastrointestinal problems, said Brad Jacobs, director of development for the IWK Foundation.

The unit will have 24 patient rooms, each with bathrooms and space enough for parents to sleep and for health staff and the kind of equipment used in modern medicine.

There will be a lead-lined room for children getting treatment for thyroid cancer.

The floor will also have amenities like a playroom and kitchen and laundry area to make the environment more home-like.

"Regardless of the situation for a patient coming in, we can provide everything they need," Mr. Jacobs said.

Armco will make a contribution for each lot sold in its large Governors Brook subdivision in the Spryfield area, launching this week.

The first two phases have already been purchased by builder Elegant Homes, enabling Armco to deliver a first cheque worth $90,500 to the IWK Foundation, said Armco marketing manager Kathleen O’Donovan.

Mr. Jacobs said the $750,000 pledge is a substantial one, especially at a time when charities are competing for scarce corporate dollars.