New smart hospital is all about people

January 11, 2017 · 0 Comments

By Mark Pavilons
Health care in York is more about people than beautiful facilities.
People caring about people is the theme driving the Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital project. King councillors received an update on the project from Altaf Stationwala, president and CEO of Mackenzie Health.
He said the planned 500-bed facility will be the first smart hospital in the region, bringing some 1,000 construction jobs, 1,800 staff and 100 new physicians when it arrives in 2020.
The state-of-the-art centre will feature modern, open spaces, large windows and abundant landscape features, all conducive to improving people’s health.
They’ve moved quickly through the process, Stationwala said, since it was announced in 2010. The ground-breaking was held this past October. They’ve learned from previous hospital projects and they will engage patients in new ways.
The project also features a new, unique partnership among stakeholders – from data providers to property managers.
The facility will be managed by the Plenary Group, an independent long-term investor, sponsor and operator of public infrastructure.
According to Stuart Elgie, senior principal of Stantec, they’re providing architectural, engineering and environmental services to the project.
This facility will be an important foundation to the surrounding community and they’re providing a real people perspective and a connection to nature. Designing a nurturing environment actually gets people better faster and many unique features are being utilized in the design.
The concept drawings show a bright, spacious facility that sets new standards in work spaces, treatment and patient rooms. Elgie noted they’ve made it flexible to accommodate future expansions.
Stationwala is especially proud the new facility will be efficient and smart. They plan to promote hourly rounds for patients and combine tools and technology for record-keeping and medical assistance. They hospital will have a long-term contract with Philips, which will supply, service and upgrade the medical equipment. Compugen will manage the facility’s data systems that include smart badges, smart beds and smart infusion pumps. This interconnection will save precious minutes in an emergency.
Many of these new procedures are currently being tested. The Mackenzie Innovation Institute (Mi2) is the bridge that brings together healthcare, academia and industry. By leveraging the expertise of these partners, Mackenzie Innovation Institute will remain on the leading edge of advancements. This means its vendors have a stake in the future of health care delivery.