Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital inches towards opening

The keys have been handed over at the new Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon.

The new building celebrated a construction milestone Thursday by officially handing over possession of the building from Graham Construction to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) as builders, organizers and staff inch towards opening day.

Corey Miller, the vice president of programs with the SHA, couldn’t understate how revolutionary the new hospital will be for all those involved.

“It’s hugely important for the recruitment of specialists,” he said during a tour with local media. “But also to allow us to bring the latest technologies and the latest care models to the people of Saskatchewan.”

More than 1.6 million hours of construction went into building the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital that stressed involvement and input from all levels of care, like the decorative themes on each of the floors.

For example, the first floor is the forest floor that includes intricate woodwork detail. Many of the rooms have features that are meant to provide positive distraction, like the changing ceiling lights that are meant to mimic the northern lights in the induction room before a patient is taken to surgery.

Another important development in the new children’s hospital is the privacy and accompanying support, compared to current care provided at the Royal University Hospital.

No longer will multiple expecting mothers have to fight for a stay in the Victorian Room on the maternity unit as many of the rooms offer full privacy and will bring many of the services to the patient, which will avoid new mothers being shuttled to multiple rooms for different levels of care.

Dr. Laurentiu Givelichian, provincial head of pediatrics with the SHA, said all the fine detail is centred around the patient.

“Literature shows that increased anxiety will prolong the stay in a hospital,” he said. “Our children will be able to be discharged home sooner, and decrease the number of days the children and their parents stay in the hospital.”

Recruitment continues to fill the hospital with necessary pediatric specialists. Around 60 of the 72 full-time physicians have already been recruited and work in Saskatoon.

That work is largely attributed to doubling the number of pediatricians in the province from 62 in 2007 to 122 in time for opening.

The Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital will have provincial coverage, with a main aim at reducing patients’ trips to Alberta or Manitoba for specialty care.

“I’m proud to say, that with the opening of this hospital, our children and their families will not have to travel outside of the province,” Givelichian said of the hospital’s eventual hope.

Saskatchewan’s first children’s hospital will also have surgical suites dedicated to pediatrics, a theatre for families and patients to enjoy, a pediatric-specific kidney dialysis unit and private rooms for neonatal intensive care unit patients.

While organizers remain quiet about an opening date, Givelichian can’t wait to show the hospital at some point this fall.

“This is not something that will be repeated again in my lifetime,” he said, remarking at his more than 15 years of work to see the hospital open.

“For all of us, this is one of the biggest deals in our careers.”

Over the next few months, staff will begin training and simulations as crews move in more than 77,000 pieces of equipment and furniture.