Dr. Harvey J. Guyda
Associate Executive Director, MCH
It’s my pleasure to welcome
Barbara Izzard to the hospital’s Senior Management Team. We look forward to working with Barb in her new role as Associate Executive Director of Nursing.
The past few weeks have brought plenty of good news for the MCH. Here are just some of the highlights.
MUHC Redevelopment ProjectThe redevelopment project has been given the official green light by the Government of Quebec. At a press conference on October 17, which was attended by no less than three provincial ministers: Dr Yves Bolduc (Health), Monique Jérôme-Forget (Finance), and Raymond Bachand (Industry & Tourism), the MUHC and the Government of Quebec announced that a Request for Proposals (RFP) has been issued to the two international consortia that are bidding to design, build, finance and maintain the MUHC’s new facilities at the Glen Campus.
The press conference also confirmed that the MUHC Research Institute was awarded the largest ever CFI award of $250 million, with $100 million coming from the federal government, $100 million from the Quebec government, and $50 million from the private sector. This is great affirmation of the international excellence of the research programs conducted at the MUHC and further, the planning of research on the Glen Campus.
MCH investigators, led by our Associate Director for Pediatric Research, Dr. Jacquetta Trasler, played a key role in the preparation of the CFI application. With this plan, our major child health research programs will be relocated to the Glen Campus.
User Groups up and runningWith the issuance of the RFP, the MUHC user groups have begun meeting with the two consortia. The role of the user groups is to explain in detail the MUHC vision for its new hospitals. The consortia will use the information gathered during the user group meetings to draft their proposals and bid for the Glen Campus. Dr. Micheline Ste-Marie (ADPS), Barbara Izzard (ADON) and Dr. Gary Pekeles are leading the MCH process. Stay tuned for more information about the redevelopment in upcoming editions of Chez nous.
Intraoperative MRIThis spectacular initiative has grown from a “gleam in the eyes” of our neurosurgeons, led by Dr. Farmer, Chief of Pediatric Surgery, to reality in a very short period of time. The support we have received for this multi-million dollar project from the MCH Foundation and its fundraising community has been truly remarkable.
The Montreal Children’s Hospital will be the first Canadian pediatric hospital to have an intraoperative MRI. This piece of equipment allows surgeons to have an MRI performed during the surgical procedure. Until now, our neurosurgeons have had to rely on MRI images taken prior to the procedure. The new technology will allow surgeons to be more precise and could even prevent a child from having to undergo a second operation.
The new state-of-the-art MRI will also provide additional capacity for clinical researchers and other health professionals with specialized imaging needs.
We expect construction to begin in early January, and be completed by late spring. There will be some inevitable disruptions. You won’t be able to miss the huge crane parked outside the main entrance!
Medical Emergency Room renovations The end is in sight! Everyone will sigh with relief when we reopen the completely modernized Medical Emergency Department (MER) and, eventually, the Owen Centre. We owe a great debt of gratitude to the staff in the MER who have continued to deliver excellent patient care despite extremely difficult circumstances. Bravo!
I take this opportunity to thank all of our heath care teams who are working under exceedingly stressful circumstances. We have budget constraints and shortages of key personnel, especially in nursing. Members of the MCH administration are actively addressing these issues and we hope to provide some more welcome news in the near future.
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