Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and Ted McMeekin, MPP for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale, joined hospital officials and health care partners today to celebrate completion of the redeveloped Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre(JHCC).

The project was completed on time and on budget, adding more than 450,000 square feet of new and renovated space and increasing capacity from 234 to 338 beds.

The JHCC, which is part of Hamilton Health Sciences, is now a modern, state-of-the-art facility that will further enhance the ability of staff and physicians to provide outstanding care.

The redevelopment project has also enabled the consolidation of two highly specialized services at the JHCC - hematology oncology and hepatobiliary surgery. Hematology oncology services were previously located in both the JHCC and the McMaster University Medical Centre (MUMC), and hepatobiliary surgery took place at both MUMC and St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. Consolidating these programs allows the teams of experts to combine their strengths and abilities to provide the best patient care.

The expansion has created additional oncology beds and increased capacity in emergency services, diagnostic services, ambulatory clinics and surgery. The creation of nine operating suites will also help meet surgical oncology and orthopedic care needs across the region.

The building team, led by EllisDon Corporation, began work in February 2008. At the peak of construction, approximately 500 workers were on-site daily, with the majority of workers coming from Hamilton and surrounding communities.

Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care worked with Hamilton Health Sciences to redevelop the Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre, which will remain publicly owned and publicly controlled.

Infrastructure Ontario is a Crown corporation dedicated to delivering some of the province's larger and more complex infrastructure renewal projects, on time and on budget. It also manages one of the largest real estate portfolios in Canada, offers real estate services, such as asset management and property and land management, and provides the public sector and not-for-profit organizations with long-term financing to renew public infrastructure.

Visit www.infrastructureontario.ca  or visit www.hamiltonhealthsciences.ca  for more information.
 

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