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Kasian to design Phase 1 of SMH’s redevelopment project

'We are looking forward to working with Kasian to help bring our vision of a redeveloped hospital for our community to life,' said Stevenson Memorial Hospital president and CEO
InnisfilToday Staff
hospital-main-entrance
Stevenson Memorial Hospital main entrance. Supplied photo

NEWS RELEASE
STEVENSON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
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Stevenson Memorial Hospital (SMH) is pleased to announce that Kasian Architecture Interior Design and Planning (Kasian), a Toronto-based full-service planning and design firm, has been awarded the contract to design Phase 1 of SMH’s redevelopment project. 

With offices across Canada, Kasian has partnered nationally with clients to deliver over 200 healthcare projects across the country. Some of these projects include: 

  • The redevelopment of Quinte Health Care Belleville General Hospital
  • Current design of the expansion and renovation of the Emergency Department, Fracture Clinic and Cardiac Diagnostic and Arrhythmia Clinic at the Centenary Health site at Scarborough Health Network
  • Design and construction of the new Stanton General Hospital in Yellowknife
  • The new South Health Campus Hospital in Calgary
  • The Clinical Patient Tower at The Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, BC

SMH participated in a Request for Proposal for Architect Services process and appreciates the time and effort of all architectural firms for their submissions towards the design contract. SMH will proceed with Kasian to design the expansion and implement a Build-Finance construction model. SMH will be supported by the Ministry of Health and Infrastructure Ontario as this work progresses. 

“We are looking forward to working with Kasian to help bring our vision of a redeveloped hospital for our community to life,” said Jody Levac, president and CEO at SMH. “Their work will be critical in this next Design phase, which is Stage 3 of the Ministry of Health’s redevelopment process. Kasian’s work in designing and planning hospital redevelopments leaves us confident that we will have the hospital that we need and deserve.” 

SMH’s 58-year-old facility was built to manage 7,000 emergency department visits and now sees almost 40,000 per year. With residential developments that continue in New Tecumseth and in the south Simcoe region, the population has grown significantly over the years. New Tecumseth is the seventh fastest-growing municipality in the country, with a 28 per cent growth in population since 2016. SMH has not undergone redevelopment since the current facility’s inception in 1964 and needs this expansion to serve the growing community today and future generations. 

Drawing from healthcare experience in all major procurement models, building types and stages, Kasian maintains its steadfast commitment to collaboration with patients, families, clinicians, and support staff to co-create design solutions throughout SMH’s redevelopment. 

“At Kasian, we believe there is one primary reason to design a new hospital: to improve patient and community outcomes,” said Ian Sinclair, principal-in-charge/operations integration advisor at Kasian. “The key to achieving this, we believe, is not by simply offering answers but by having the wisdom and good judgment to ask better questions. This means we are committed, unlike anyone else, to bring patients, their families, and staff to the planning table, so the building is co-designed by and for those it is intended to serve,” he added. 

Phase 1 of the SMH redevelopment project will feature a wrap-around expansion of the current hospital, doubling the square footage of the current hospital. The emergency department will triple in size, featuring a separate entrance and increased covered ambulance bays. Inpatient beds will increase by 20 per cent, with a majority being isolation rooms, following best practices in infection prevention and control. The surgical suite, birthing unit, pharmacy, laboratory and diagnostic imaging units will all be expanded. The repurposing and revitalization of the hospital’s current building will become Phase 2 of the project. 

The Stevenson Memorial Hospital Foundation (SMHF) launched the $43 million 'Because of you, we can' capital campaign in 2019 in support of the redevelopment project, as well as funds needed to support critical equipment and technology upgrades. Of their goal, $30 million represents the community share required to be raised for the project. The SMH and SMHF are thankful for the support of several businesses, organizations, local government, individuals and families to date. 

The success of SMH’s redevelopment is contingent on the community’s commitment to raising funds required for the project. The Ministry of Health requires the local community to invest in and contribute to its revitalized and redeveloped hospital. SMH and the SMHF need the support of the entire community to ensure this project becomes a reality. To support the redevelopment project by making a donation, please visit transformingstevenson.ca.

For more information about SMH’s redevelopment project, please visit stevensonhospital.ca.

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