Mackenzie Health Insider: Caring for our growing community

Caring for our growing community

It’s been a busy summer with construction advancing at Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital. Incredible progress is being made from the inside-out. This includes the Critical Care area which will support patients and their families who need urgent care and attention from our health care teams. And just down Major Mackenzie Drive, a new surgical pilot program has launched at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital, which offers patients a shorter stay and recovery time. We’re excited that in just a year and a half, our two hospitals together will provide improved access to the safe, quality care our growing communities across York Region need and deserve.  

Improving care through innovation

Dr. Michael Kogon, Division Head of Urology, performs Green LightLaser Therapy,
a minimally invasive alternative to traditional treatment of an enlarged prostate currently being piloted at Mackenzie Richmond Hill.

Construction at Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital (left) continues to progress on schedule; Critical Care rooms (right), like the ones made possible by generous donors like the Reale Family and Janet and Fraser Nelson, will maximize a patient’s exposure to daylight as they receive highly-specialized care from our expert team of nurses and physicians.

At Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital, we have one of the busiest intensive care units (ICUs) in the GTA. We care for approximately 1,000 critical patients a year with complex medical needs requiring 24-hour care following a life-threatening illness like a massive heart attack or serious injuries like those sustained in a car accident. When the Critical Care space opens at Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, together with Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital, we will be able to treat more patients and families. Plus, we’ll have the latest technologies to support our health care teams in delivering highly-specialized care for critically ill patients. This means new critical care beds in a bright, 35,000 square foot space on the second floor of Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, with room to grow.

Clear sightlines and increased visibility to the outdoors are hallmark features of the space, as research has shown that exposure to daylight helps a patient’s recovery. All rooms are private and will have floor to ceiling windows and movable technologies, including patient lifts and suspended monitoring equipment, so a patient’s bed can change position to maximize their bright outdoor views. Construction of these patient rooms is almost complete.

The Critical Care area was designed to put patients and families first. Family support during times of change or difficulty can make an integral difference in a patient’s healing and recovery. That’s why each patient room will be furnished with either a sleeper chair or sleeper sofa with electronic charging stations available in a family zone. Two private family overnight rooms with a sleeper sofa, side chairs, entertainment system and a private washroom equipped with a shower will also be available to families who want to stay close as loved ones recover. A visitor lounge with a mix of seating and a fireplace overlooking the Welcome Centre is another space for families to connect.

Construction of the Critical Care section is progressing on schedule with floors, ceilings, doors and all hardware installed while wall protection and millwork is currently underway. New features include sliding glass doors that can change from clear to frosted glass in place of the standard curtains to ensure that nurses and physicians can monitor patients while still maintaining their privacy.

Critical Care nurses will also benefit from having charting stations in specially designed alcoves just outside patient rooms. This will help accommodate all of the technology that caregivers need while maximizing the visibility of their patients and keeping items out of the corridor. Nurse servers, which are complete, will enable nurses to access the supplies they need directly outside a patient’s room without having to travel to a central nurses’ station – saving previous time looking for supplies and spending more time with patients and families.

Nurse servers are now installed outside patient rooms, allowing nurses to access the supplies they need quickly and easily.

Bringing the ultimate in health care here

Members of the Carpenters’ Union (locals 27 and 675) celebrate their generous $1 million donation to Mackenzie Health at the future site of Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital.