Inside the new structure for MGH’s mental health and medicine services

EllisDon has completed concrete pouring activities for levels seven, eight and nine of Michael Garron Hospital’s (MGH) new Patient Care Centre. Level seven is designed to support the hospital’s child and youth inpatient mental health program and will have a 30 bed inpatient medicine unit. Levels eight and nine will further support the hospital’s medicine program with an additional 90 adult inpatient beds, with 45 beds per unit.

Child and youth inpatient mental health unit

MGH’s child and youth inpatient mental health program provides patients and their families with the support and resources necessary to resolve mental health crises and safely transition back into the community.

The spacious unit has been designed with three separate areas:

• Unit entry: to receive patients, and for visitors to wait until they are able to see a patient or staff member.
• Program support area: accessible to both day patients and inpatients, this area will support both individual and group mental health programming. On a typical day, patients will participate in academic activities, group and independent work and recreational therapy.
• Patient living area: includes six inpatient bedrooms and patient living spaces. This area is separate from the program support area and will only be accessible to inpatients staying on the unit and their care team.

Key spaces on the unit will have access to natural daylight and exterior views to support positive therapy and work environments. In addition, the unit will have elevator access to a rooftop terrace designated specifically for mental health programming at MGH.

Medicine services

The medicine program at MGH provides patient-centered, quality care to patients experiencing both acute and chronic medical conditions. Sub-specialty areas within MGH’s medicine program include:

• cardiology
• endocrinology
• general medicine
• geriatrics
• hematology
• neurology
• nephrology
• oncology
• respirology (chest)
• progressive weaning from ventilator care

The medicine units within MGH’s Patient Care Centre incorporate best practices in clinical design and will provide a safe and supportive healing environment for patients receiving care. The Patient Care Centre has the capacity to accommodate 120 medicine beds in a combination of both single (80 per cent) and double (20 per cent) occupancy patient rooms. Some of the features within the inpatient medicine rooms include:

• one washroom and shower per patient (two for double rooms) to reduce spread of infection between patients
• large windows which provide access to natural light and views
• a wardrobe for personal belongings
• a family support zone with a chair which folds out into a bed in order to accommodate caregivers at the bedside 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• wall-mounted diagnostic tools which support acuity adaptable practice
• patient-controlled lighting and thermostat
• a ceiling mounted patient lift to help transfer patients with limited mobility and reduce the risk of patient falls and employee injuries
• enhanced space to accommodate mobility devices
• a hand washing sink to ensure staff are equipped to practice the four moments of hand hygiene

All the furniture, fixtures and finishes have been selected to ensure the ongoing health and safety of both patients and staff at MGH. To promote a quiet healing environment, the hospital will also use handheld devices to minimize the need for overhead paging and call bells.

Patient support space

Numerous support areas for patients and their families have also been incorporated on the medicine units including spacious lounges with a variety of seating, a pantry for storing and preparing food and a quiet room. A rehabilitation room will also be available for patients who require access to occupational therapy and physiotherapy.

Staff support space

At MGH, a patient’s care team is comprised of a variety of interdisciplinary team members including: registered nurses, registered practical nurses, personal support workers, clinical resource leaders, nurse practitioners, physicians, pharmacists, dietitians, physiotherapists (PT) and PT assistants, occupational therapists (OT) and OT assistants, respiratory therapists, transition navigators and speech language pathologists. Clinical support areas for staff, physicians and learners on the unit include:

• Charting areas: Multiple charting areas will be provided including at the bedside, outside patient rooms and at the communal team stations.
• Medication administration: Automatic dispensing units on the unit will allow medications to be stored and dispensed near the point of care while also controlling and tracking drug distribution.
• Linen, equipment, supply rooms: Rooms will be located in convenient locations across the unit to minimize travel distances for care team members.

MGH is proud to be celebrating the completion of concrete pouring activities for the new Patient Care Centre. Don’t miss a moment of the action onsite; watch the construction activity LIVE here.