Hamilton Health Sciences plans to open a new hospital, close others
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/67...-close-others/
Hamilton Health Sciences plans to vastly change the face of health care here over the next 20 years.
The wide-ranging vision includes building a new hospital for women and children, concentrating services at Hamilton General and Juravinski and closing at least one big building.
The new hospital would likely be built near Hamilton General and become part of its campus, replacing the current McMaster Children's Hospital.
"The children's hospital is the fastest-growing children's hospital in the province," said Rob MacIsaac, president and CEO of HHS in an interview with The Spectator regarding the long-term vision.
"We will for sure run out of room on the current site."
Hamilton General and Juravinski hospitals will be redeveloped and modernized to become the focus of acute care under the plan that will be finalized and taken to the board in June.
St. Peter's, a chronic care hospital downtown, would likely lose all of its inpatients as more services are concentrated at the two main sites.
The plan calls for at least one or more big buildings to close.
But MacIsaac maintains it's still "to be determined" if St. Peter's and the current site of McMaster Children's Hospital will remain open despite no clear role for them yet in the long-term plan.
"My intuition tells me he was trying to soften and gently prepare our municipality for some dramatic changes down the road," said Coun. Tom Jackson about a presentation MacIsaac made to city council May 24.
"That leads me right away to closures, consolidations and realignments."
The plan also revives redevelopment of West Lincoln Memorial Hospital that was cancelled in 2012 when Dalton McGuinty's Liberal government killed a number of hospital projects in Tory-held ridings. West Lincoln is in the Niagara West-Glanbrook riding of Tim Hudak, who was opposition leader at the time.
"West Lincoln Memorial Hospital is well past its best-before date in terms of infrastructure," said MacIsaac.
"We've been working with the community in West Niagara on a suite of programs that we think meet those community's needs.
"It does involve a 24-7 emergency, it also envisions being a low-risk birth centre and we're looking at an extensive ambulatory surgery suite of operating rooms that could well service the greater region.
"Community medicine is obviously going to be part of that vision and some specialty clinics. There will be a real focus on healthy aging."
However, MacIsaac would not go so far as to call the newly-envisioned West Lincoln an acute-care hospital.
A big part of the plan is having multiple entry points through clinics spread throughout the region in existing health care practices, community organizations, urgent care — or even the virtual sphere through smartphones and devices.
"Fewer large heavy campuses but a lot more community access points," explained MacIsaac.
"Increasingly we need to be partnering with others in the community to think about better ways to serve our patients. We're looking a lot at how we can keep people out of hospital, keep them healthier and better able to manage their conditions in the community."
The adult services in the new hospital would focus on women's reproductive care allowing labour and delivery to remain in the same building as the neonatal intensive care unit. Moving to the Hamilton's General campus would give women access to adult specialists, diagnostic equipment and intensive care.
"Our clinicians are telling us that there would be some benefit to our patients by locating a new hospital closer to the General," said MacIsaac. "We will definitely have to consider that as a serious option."
He said McMaster University taking over the current hospital building is a possibility, but nothing has been decided.
"We've given McMaster a heads-up and they've been involved in our planning," said MacIsaac. "Before we made any decisions around that, we'd want to make sure McMaster was well-engaged and onside."
The plan has left Jackson worried about the reaction of the community — recalling the "angst" when McMaster closed its emergency department to adults and how the Health Services Restructuring Commission "divided this community horribly" when it suggested closing certain sites.
"I'm just a little bit on tenterhooks here wondering what the ultimate decision will be down the road," he said.
But Coun. Sam Merulla says improving health care and making it sustainable for the future is more important than maintaining the status quo.
"We have to take emotions away from the discussion," said Merulla. "As long as it's a gain for the community, it's something we should support wholeheartedly. It shouldn't be looked at based on parochial means."
He urged residents to become involved in the discussion and help shape the HHS vision.
"The vision itself is something that is sound and one that the community needs to become aware of so they can be engaged to participate," said Merulla.
"It's not written in concrete. It's really more of a drawing of where they'd like to go."
Prev
Linear Mode
