May 2, 2019

Construction on Children’s Hospital Nearly Complete

The countdown to the opening of Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital hit a historic milestone with Graham Construction handing the keys over to the Saskatchewan Health Authority today. While work will continue on final elements ahead of opening later this fall, construction is “substantially complete” and the project is on time and on budget.

“The new Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital will act as a centre of excellence for the care of our moms and children and provide dedicated physicians and staff processes specific to the unique needs of children,” said Corey Miller, vice-president of Provincial Programs at the Saskatchewan Health Authority. “The hospital’s design is focused on the needs of families, providing a child-friendly atmosphere and comfortable, private spaces for families to spend time together outside of patient rooms.”

The 176-bed hospital will feature private rooms with sleep space for parents or supportive partners as well as family-friendly spaces like an outdoor play area, teen lounge, playrooms, and a theatre with movies and events for young patients.

The state of the art hospital will house the province’s only 24-hour pediatric emergency department with capacity to treat over 5,000 young patients each year. It will also be home to Saskatchewan’s first dedicated pediatric surgical suites. These integrated rooms will include both an operative area and induction room, allowing parents to be with their child while anesthesia is administered.

About 60 pediatric specialists, sub-specialists and surgeons have already been recruited. The Saskatchewan Health Authority plans to recruit another dozen full-time positions.  Once opened, the hospital will be staffed with over 72 full-time physicians in more than 20 specialties.

“The new hospital will deliver a more patient-centric approach where services are organized around the patient, rather than children and their families having to navigate and search out these services,” said Dr. Laurentiu Givelichian, head of pediatrics, Saskatchewan Health Authority. “Physicians are extremely excited to be part of what we’ve built and the type of care we’ll deliver.”

Over the next few months, more than 77,000 pieces of equipment will be installed and tested. In addition to physicians, over 2,400 employees will be trained prior to the doors opening.

Fundraising for the new provincial hospital continues in earnest over the coming months, with $68 million raised to date with a goal of a minimum of $75 million.

“An incredible amount of work, fundraising and dedication has been accomplished to reach this milestone. The people of Saskatchewan deserve recognition for making this possible,” said Brynn Boback-Lane, president and CEO of Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation. “We are very proud to be part of such a monumental facility that will benefit Saskatchewan moms, children and families.  It is a great day for maternal and pediatric healthcare in our province and this Foundation will continue to support Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital for the generations of families that will benefit from its care.”  

More than 1.6 million hours of construction work went into building the new state-of-the-art facility. Construction began in September 2014 and the new hospital is on schedule for a Fall 2019 opening. To help outfit and equip Saskatchewan’s new Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital, please donate at wearesaskatchewan.ca.