The last thing convalescing patients or staff at any of Kingston’s three hospitals need to deal with is a leaky roof or drafty windows.
But with parts of each of Kingston’s hospitals ranging in age from 100 to 165 years old, those infrastructure problems and many others are bound to crop up.
As a means to keep old buildings up to today’s standards, the province announced on Wednesday that it is giving more than $8.2 million for infrastructure upgrades for Kingston General Hospital, Hotel Dieu Hospital and Providence Care.
Kingston and the Islands MPP Sophie Kiwala made the announcement at KGH on Wednesday morning.
The money, coming from the provinces’s Health Infrascructure Renewal Fund, will give KGH just over $4.7 million, Hotel Dieu $2.1 million and Providence Care $1.4 million.
With the money, the three hospitals will be able to make some critical infrastructure upgrades, Kiwala said during her speech at the Watkins Wing entrance, one of the oldest parts of KGH.
“Everyone is excited about capital projects and starting a new wing or a new hospital, but it is absolutely critical that we continue to maintain our hospitals.”
Kiwala said the money is earmarked for a variety of upgrades at the hospitals, including roof repair or replacement, new windows, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and back-up generator upgrades.
Kiwala said the fund has been improved over the last few years, making it easier for hospitals to apply for infrastructure funding and removing the obligation for hospitals to have matching funds raised locally.
“Hospitals are now able to receive grants for eligible projects regardless of their ability to raise a local share of the project,” Kiwala said.
She added that energy efficient upgrades extend the life of existing facilities and make for a modern work environment for staff, which improves morale.
“And of course long-term cost savings can be funnelled back into improved patient access and care,” she said.
Leslee Thompson, the president and CEO of KGH, said the money it is receiving will go to a variety of projects including roofs repairs, improving fire alarm systems and nurse call systems, upgrading heating systems on the ramp of the emergency department, updating the HVAC systems in some areas of the hospital and repointing some of the limestone on its heritage buildings.
“We have some of the oldest hospital facilities in Canada,” Thompson said in her speech. “In fact, KGH is the oldest free-standing hospital in Canada with some of our buildings dating back to the mid- or late 1800s.”
Thompson added that KGH now has $120 million in deferred infrastructure projects they’d like to address.
In an interview following the announcement, she said the hospital is now able to set aside $20 million annually for infrastructure work.
“Through our operational efficiencies at KGH, we have increased the amount of money we have put toward capital equipment, renewing capital equipment and some infrastructure every year.”
She said the hospital has improved the funding for infrastructure over the last few years.
“We had a very serious problem back in 2009 where we simply didn’t have to provide staff and patients with some critical equipment.”
The funding from the province allows the hospital to keep up with their aging infrastructure without affecting patient care.
“When you’re making choices of about where to spend the precious dollars, on the roof or supporting a clinical service, this allows us to fix the roof without going to the community to raise funds for the roof and without us needing to make a choice about where we spend those precious dollars.
“So this is a very important source of funds for the hospital.”
Cathy Szabo, the president and CEO of Providence Care, said while they’re building their new hospital, it’s difficult to get access to current money to do infrastructure work at their other sites.
“It is all about patient safety and nurses safety and delivering the care in those locations and we’re grateful the ministry recognizes that.”
The money they’re getting are for roof repairs and security systems at their St. Mary’s of the Lake site.
Krista Wells Pearce, the director of re-development and planning at Hotel Dieu Hospital and Providence Care, spoke on behalf of Hotel Dieu.
She thanked Kiwala and the government for making it easier for hospitals to apply for the fund.
She said in the past, it was a cumbersome process.
“It’s now a really efficient streamlined process that also allowed flexibility within the parameters of the hospitals who know best where it is to make decisions of what we should be prioritizing and spending on.”
Hotel Dieu plans to use the funding to complete the last phase of the hospital’s roof replacement program, a new elevator for the Family Medicine Centre, replacing limestone on the outside wall of the hospital’s auditorium facing Johnson Street and some improvements for their electrical system.”
Following the announcement, Kiwala said the money is important for all aspects of a hospital’s operation.
“We need to have dedicated funding for maintenance in order for us to be able to provide the best possible care.”
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