Close-up on our Glen site: The new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the new Pediatric Intensive Care Unit 

Building a better hospital for our kids

The Montreal Children's Hospital is building a new home and plans are well underway at the Glen site, located directly behind the Vendôme metro station between Westmount and NDG. The Glen site of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) will combine The Montreal Children's Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Montreal Chest Institute, the Cancer Centre and the Research Institute of the MUHC at a single ultramodern site. It will also house the Shriners Hospital for Children®-Canada right next to The Montreal Children's Hospital.

The services available at the new hospital will include:

• Single-patient rooms
• State-of-the-art operating rooms for children
• An emergency department that is twice as big as our current facility
• A neonatal intensive care unit located next door to the birthing centre so that sick newborns get the care they need a quickly as possible
• The Centre for Innovative Medicine and the Centre for Translational Biology

Every detail of the new Montreal Children’s Hospital has been carefully thought out. The goal: combine the latest principles in modern and environmental hospital design while keeping aesthetics, elegance and respect for local residents in mind.

Patient needs are paramount

Nobody really looks forward to a hospital appointment and even less to a hospital stay. However, the new hospital is being built with our patients' and families' needs in mind. We’re paying attention to simple details like making sure waiting rooms are comfortable, and more technical details such as state-of-the-art private rooms that make the most of natural outdoor light.

We pledge to build a children's hospital where patients receive the most advanced care and where medical research and teaching are integrated into all our activities. We consider our values - caring, collaboration, support, innovation, passion and family-focused care – to be our most priceless commodity and each and every person who works at The Children’s will instinctively and effortlessly transport these values to our new facility.

Family-Centred Care

Our commitment to family-centred care will be reflected throughout the new facility. Patients and families will enjoy fully-equipped single patient rooms. All inpatient units will have family lounges.

The new design will favour more intimate waiting areas. In addition, as much as possible, care will come to the children rather than making families travel throughout the hospital to access different services. We are committed to providing ‘the right care, in the right place, at the right time, by the right team.’

Improved teamwork

The new hospital will foster even greater inter-professional teamwork as all clinical and administrative staff will be clustered in care centres on each unit. Work stations will be located outside every two patient rooms bringing staff closer to the bedside. Everything has been designed to facilitate improved interaction and communication between the patient, family and staff.

Side by side with our partners

The Children's will share the Glen site with the Royal Victoria Hospital, one of the MUHC's adult hospitals, and the Shriners Hospital for Children®-Canada. This close proximity will be beneficial in many ways; it will allow our healthcare professionals in both pediatrics and adult care to work more closely together, and to share information, findings and treatment plans. It also allows us to share very scarce and expensive equipment for adult and pediatric treatment when appropriate.

Even more important, our young patients who reach adulthood will be able to make a seamless transition from pediatric care to adult care, a major benefit for those patients who may be uneasy or worried about moving to a new hospital, meeting with a new doctor and getting used to a new health team.

A special place reserved for pediatric care

The new Montreal Children's Hospital is taking shape based on the needs of its young patients. Private rooms will help reduce the spread of infection, while parents will have a space to keep their children company both day and night. Joyful colours and soothing materials will help reduce the stress of being in the hospital. Special resources, such as a modern and spacious Family Resource Centre and playrooms will be made available to patients and families.

Innovation

The Montreal Children’s Hospital has been a pioneer in the fields of cardiology, neurology, plastic surgery, gastroenterology, otolaryngology and many others. Our spirit of innovation will continue and flourish at the Glen site particularly as we inaugurate the Centre for Innovative Medicine (CIM), a multi-purpose unit where patients and their families can participate in clinical research, including clinical trials. When in full operation, it will be the largest dedicated academic clinical research centre in Canada.