Hotel Dieu Hospital, Kingston, ON

Construction Updates: What you need to know before you come

December 6, 2011:

Gearing up to welcome new outpatient clinics at Hotel Dieu

With construction activity in full swing on our $20 million redevelopment project—you’ve heard the drilling, seen the construction crews and passed the cement trucks—work is ramping up on coordinating all the tasks involved in transferring most outpatient clinical activity from Kingston General Hospital to Hotel Dieu Hospital within the next year.

That transfer is being facilitated by an occupancy planning process, which identifies and implements all the activities required to move outpatient clinics—including staffing, equipment, funding, technology, etc.—from KGH to Hotel Dieu.

The process revolves around a milestone schedule that will function as a master “to do” over the next year as various hospital departments and areas work to ensure the incoming clinics are successfully implemented. The roster of participating departments in the occupancy planning process includes Patient Care, Medical Staff, Joint Planning Office, Human Resources, Finance, Information Management, Facilities and Public Relations.

On budget and on schedule, our $20 million expansion project is 25 per cent complete and currently looks like this:

Facilities administration/shops move to Johnson 0: COMPLETE
The Facilities Management team and trades staff (plumbers, electricians, painters, etc.) have now relocated from Mary Alice 4 and Jeanne Mance 4&5 to Johnson 0 into newly renovated space. This frees up necessary space on levels 4 and 5 for clinic construction.

New elevator tower: Expect to complete JULY 2012

This is important an important piece of the redevelopment project because it will improve access to the upper floors. The new two-car bank of elevators will run up the back of the Johnson Wing, coming up just behind the current registration desks in the Johnson clinics. For safety reasons, a staircase will be built adjacent to this. The new elevators will help to move bulky items (e.g., supplies, procedures carts, cleaning carts, charts) plus staff, which means the main elevators in the lobby can support patient traffic.
To support the elevator construction and for staff/patient safety, we have closed our Johnson St. entrance as the construction crews do what is called a continuous pour. They put the elevator shaft frames in place and then pour concrete, bringing truck after truck, until those frames are filled. This work is repeated at each level. At times, Johnson St. is down to one lane as trucks come in.

Lobby renovation: Stairwell work continues into February; Gift Shop renovation begins late January/early February

We now have one elevator out of service—and it will be out for a few more months—because we’re digging underneath to take it down to 00 (Medical Records). We currently only have one elevator (a service elevator near the back staircase) that goes down that low; if it goes out of service, then we have issues about accessing 00 level where medical records are housed. This work has been difficult at times—some hand digging was required in addition to power drilling—but it will create the necessary backup system to give us two elevators to level 00 in future.
The lobby stairwell work is happening as much as possible after regular hours to minimize noise. This staircase will help move people with more ease and in a more visible way to the second floor. The staircase is going to be beautiful; it will be made of stone and steel and be a real feature in the lobby, while also helping us to improve the flow of patients to the upper floors.
Work on a Gift Shop renovation will start early in the new year. We will be moving the Gift Shop slightly to the left in order to open up a clear corridor out the back to the Johnson wing. We will also be adding a small grab-and-go satellite coffee shop for items that don’t require on-site preparation (e.g. coffee, cold drinks). This will help to decompress the busy café and speed up service for those who just want a quick drink.

JM4 & JM5 clinics: Expect to complete end of summer 2012
Work is well underway behind closed doors on this beautiful, patient-friendly clinic space with views over the downtown area and waterfront.

Brock 4/Pulmonary Function Testing Lab: Completion date TBA
Due to begin shortly.

Johnson 4/Cystoscopy Suite: Expect to complete November 2012
This involves moving part of the Urology Clinic from KGH and will be one of last pieces of the project to be completed, likely late 2012.

August 18, 2011:
Johnson Street entrance will close for six months
Effective late August, the hospital’s Johnson Street entrance will be closed for six months as the construction of a new elevator tower/stairwell progresses on the south side of our building.

Construction crews have now finished demolishing and removing the current J1 roof and floor slabs, clearing the way to begin erecting the formwork for the elevator shaft and then pouring concrete to encase the 8-storey elevator/stairwell.

Alternative entrance & signage: The J1 entrance will be closed throughout this phase of the project. An alternative entrance will be opened on Johnson Street just west of the J1 doors. This temporary entrance will be fully signed outside. Inside the hospital, signage will direct patients and visitors as necessary.

Please note: During the next week, this signage will have a “dry run” to ensure it works for everyone. Final signage should be in place by the end of the month.

Directing patients, families and visitors: Departments that may routinely advise people to use the J1 entrance—e.g., individuals attending events in the auditorium and J1 seminar room—are asked to take particular note of the alternative entrance and to notify people accordingly where possible.

The auditorium remains open during this six-month period. While the temporary entrance is open to everyone, it may be easier to direct patients and visitors to the Brock Street entrance where they can obtain directions to their hospital destination at the Information Desk.

July 4, 2011: Lobby, elevator work dominate July construction schedule
Construction work on the stairway in the Jeanne Mance lobby and on the new elevator/stair tower near the Johnson Street entrance will dominate our redevelopment project throughout July. In preparation for the construction of stairway in the main lobby to Jeanne Mance 2, protective hoarding has now been fully installed in the Day Surgery waiting area. Installation in the lobby, adjacent to the Information Desk and Credit Union, should be completed by the end of this week. The construction itself will occur in the evenings and is slated to take about 5 months.

Johnson wing elevator tower

Throughout July, crews will be busy working on the new elevator/stair tower adjacent to the Johnson Street entrance. This part of the project involves first demolishing and removing the current Johnson 1 roof and floor slabs. This clears the way for crews to pour concrete for the 8-storey tower. During the demolition phase, traffic will be down to one lane on Johnson Street as a crane removes roof slabs for disposal. Access to the hospital’s Johnson Street entrance will be restricted, and patients and staff will be redirected by signage to an alternate entrance up the Johnson ramp. The Johnson entrance will be open for emergencies only.

June 23, 2011: Power interruptions to Jeanne Mance 3
As part of the HDH construction project, crews will be conducting core drilling on Jeanne Mance 4 during the week of June 27. This drilling involves cutting small holes through the floor in the shelled-in space on JM4 down through the Jeanne Mance 3 ceiling. This work is being done to accommodate the plumbing infrastructure needed for the new JM4 clinics. While noise associated with this work will be minimal, there will be intermittent power interruptions to Jeanne Mance 3. Staff in this area are advised to save computer work more frequently than normal during the week. We do not anticipate any power interruptions beyond JM3. Ontario Electric will be on site to repair any damage immediately.

June 10, 2011: Johnson 0 corridors off limits when new ceiling installed
Beginning Monday, June 13, Facilities will be replacing the ceiling tile in the corridors around the new maintenance shops (old labs) on Johnson 0. This work requires that we put up infection control barriers while we remove the old ceiling. Staff are asked to please avoid the J0 area where this work is occurring. The old freight elevator (#8/Mary Alice wing) and the Johnson elevator (#11) that goes down to level 0 will not be available for use while the ceiling is being removed. We anticipate the removal will take three days and the new ceiling will be installed within two weeks of the start date.We apologize for any inconvenience as we undertake this necessary work. Thanks very much for your cooperation.

June 10, 2011:Construction hoarding goes up soon in Jeanne Mance lobby
Our redevelopment project moves into a new phase in the next few weeks as construction crews begin working in the main lobby to build an interior staircase to Jeanne Mance 2. It’s anticipated that during the week of June 20 protective hoarding will be installed adjacent to the Information Desk and Credit Union, and also adjacent to the Day Surgery waiting area on Jeanne Mance 2. The hoarding will be erected during business hours. However, the construction itself will occur in the evenings. It is slated to begin the first week on July and should take about 5 months. The Information Desk and Credit Union will remain open during the construction. Interior and exterior signage will alert users that the Credit Union is still open for business.

June 10, 20011: Renovations to the Human Resources Dept. will be completed by the end of June, which clears the way for work to begin on the new elevator and stair tower. Stay tuned for a more detailed construction schedule in the coming months.

March 23, 2011: Project is on time and on schedule
The schedule for phased construction is as follows:

Area	Construction work	Completed
Johnson 0	Maintenance Admin/Shops	May 2011
Elevator #4	Extending shaft to J00	Jan–July 2011
Johnson wing	New Elevator & Stair	Feb-Dec 2011
Johnson 1	Human Resources	April-June 2011
Brock 4	Pulmonary Function Lab	July-Oct 2011
JM4 & JM5	Clinics	Nov 2011–Aug 2012
Johnson 4	Cystoscopy	Aug-Nov 2012
Lobby	Staircase/work on Gift Shop	TBA

Jan. 25, 2011: Two corridors on Johnson 0 will be out of service and closed to foot traffic tonight—Tuesday, Jan. 25—to accommodate construction work related to the HDH redevelopment project.From 6 to 8 pm tonight existing fire doors will close off corridors J0-016 and J0-017 so that construction crews can move into the areas and remove ceilings in preparation for running conduit piping. Staff are asked to avoid using these corridors tonight. Unless signage indicates otherwise, regular foot traffic will resume Wednesday, Jan. 26.NOTE: In the event of an emergency, the corridors will be fully accessible and exit signs will be clearly visible.

Jan. 4, 2011: Main elevator shuts down for 6 to 8 months
As of Tuesday, Jan. 4, one of the patient/visitor elevators (#4) in the main lobby will be shut down for the next 6 to 8 months as part of the HDH Redevelopment Project. Construction crews will be working to extend the elevator shaft to Johnson 00, which will provide a second access to Medical Records. To help free up availability of the remaining two main elevators, staff are asked to please use alternative routes for vertical access in the hospital including elevators in the following wings: Sydenham (access to floors 1-5); Johnson (floors 1-7); Mary Alice (floors 1-4); Centenary (floors 1-4); and Brock (floors 1-5). Staff are also asked to use the stairwells whenever possible. We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we accommodate this elevator shutdown over the next several months.