When the new Alberta Children’s Hospital opens in 2006, it will be a friendly environment for both children and their families, says a Calgary Health Region official.

Bob Holmes, senior vice-president for strategic services at the CHR, says the new building on the west campus of the University of Calgary will have 140 beds. More of the rooms will be single-occupancy rooms than at the current hospital. Rooms will also feature sofabeds in case young patients need Mom or Dad to stay overnight with them.

The emergency department will have more capacity, as will ambulatory care for children who can be treated without staying overnight, said Holmes.

More than 10 per cent of the construction cost comes through the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation. The foundation commitment is $50 million, of which $30 million is for construction and $20 million to endow research, he said.

Artist’s rendering courtesy of Kasian Kennedy Architects
Thousands of Albertans have contributed to the new hospital, which is scheduled to open in 2006.

“The foundation represents the hundreds and thousands of Alberta individuals and companies who have contributed funds since the campaign began,” added Holmes.

The rest of the funding, $220 million, comes from the provincial government for a total of $250 million. That pricetag includes furniture and equipment, because large medical equipment often has special mechanical and electrical, or even structural requirements, he said.

“An acute-care hospital is one of the most complex and expensive things you can build.”

The building’s foundation is in and the main floor slab has been poured, he said last week.

The elevator and stairwells are in progress. The basement is closed and heated so work can proceed even when the weather is too cold for outside work. That saves construction time and costs, he said.

The Alberta Children’s Hospital is being built conventionally, while at the other end of the city a P3 project – otherwise known as a public-private partnership – is under way for the health region.

The SouthLink Health Centre at Macleod Trail and Sundance Boulevard is to open in June.

“You pick the program method that suits the project,” said Holmes.

Cana Construction is building the centre, which will be owned by Bentall Real Estate Services with the Calgary Health Region as the anchor tenant. CHR is looking for a suburban-style medical office building, but with special features such as an urgent-care facility.

Such facilities, while not full emergency trauma units, can assess whether people can be treated there or need to be sent to the Rocky View Hospital.

“It will be a very interesting project to evaluate for the first year after it opens, to see whether it will take pressure off the Rocky View emergency department,” he said.

The health region is paying less than $10 million for tenant improvements and will be paying rent. In about 10 years the new South Health Campus will be built.

The region will then have to decide whether to move all services to the new building, or leave some at SouthLink, he added.