Renovations & Patient Spaces
In a Hospital that’s been caring for our community for 135 years and counting, there are some spaces and patient care places that need repairs, renovations or a complete renewal. Donations from grateful patients and people just like you help us to build spaces that foster hope and healing.
Building a Better Emergency Department
When emergencies happen, Hamilton turns to St. Joe’s. Our Hospital has long been home to the busiest Emergency Department (ED) In the city. Each year, our doctors, nurses and care teams help more than 60,000 patients in this unit that’s open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year. That’s more than 160 visits to the ED every single day. And at the peak of the approaching fall and winter respiratory virus season, that number soars to 200 patients per day.
Our healthcare workers are also seeing an increase in the number of emergency mental health visits coming through our ED. The triage and emergency medicine team help to address any medical concerns individuals may have while working in partnership with the team in our psychiatric emergency service to address acute mental health or substance use concerns, too.
But if you been to our emergency department lately, you might have noticed that it’s starting to show significant signs of wear and tear. That’s because it was built over 20 years ago. Quite simply, the footprint is too small to keep pace with the growing demand for emergency care in our region. ED visits have increased by double-digit percentages over the last decade as the population of Hamilton continues to grow and our community’s healthcare needs become more complex. But not every hospital renovation project is eligible for government funding. Yet we know how important it is for our Hospital and our community to have an emergency room that not only provides exceptional care, but creates a safe, welcoming environment filled with hope and healing.
Our Renewal Plans
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation is committed to raising $1.2 million in order to ensure that the ED space matches the gold standard of care provided within it. This fundraising project is one of the highest-priority needs of the Hospital and one of the most active campaigns currently underway. We invite you to be a part of making this renovation possible through your support.
Here’s a high-level summary of the project highlights and blueprint of the plans for building a better Emergency Department:
- First, in the blue shaded area, we’ll create a newly designed and larger patient waiting room to better accommodate the volume of patients we serve as well as their families and caregivers who often want to stay nearby their sick loved one.
- The pink shaded area represents the construction of a new triage area will help to streamline the intake and assessment process, while also protecting the privacy and dignity of every patient we serve.
- And finally, the green shaded area shows the addition of several more patient care bays to help expedite the time between a patient’s arrival, assessment, diagnosis and treatment.