The $65 million Misericordia emergency department (ED) redevelopment, which started construction in 2018, is on time and on budget and scheduled to open in 2023!
Action on the construction site has provided staff, patients and the community a bright spot throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. While things remained challenging in health care and everywhere, it was positive to see this innovative new ED taking shape.
“Work isn’t just happening on the construction site,” says Jo Ann Molloy, Senior Director Operations at the Misericordia. “A large number of teams are currently working on plans on how to best serve our patients and their families once the building opens.”
The design of the new ED is nearly triple the size of the current emergency department and leads patients from triage and registration to an intake and assessment area, then on as their care requires. Optimizing patient flow and how staff will move around the new ED are important elements to establish long ahead of moving in.
Exciting new drone footage shows the progress on the emergency department construction at the Misericordia Community Hospital.
(Left: looking out at one of the patient courtyards in the mental health unit; Right: looking out the front windows from the triage and registration area)
Parking changes
During construction, some of the parking spots in the front parking lot will be required as part of the construction site. Modifications to the parking lot will also be made as part of the construction plan, which may mean changes to traffic flow for periods of time.
We recognize that reduced parking in the front lot may cause some challenges for patients and their families, and we’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Signs will be posted to direct overflow traffic to a second parking lot behind the hospital, and eight additional handicap parking spots have been added on the south side of the Mother Rosalie building, near the parking lot entrance off 87 Avenue.
73% of patients visiting the ED were classified as urgent, emergent or at resuscitation level, as per Canadian triage guidelines?
Mental health and/or addiction are the primary reason for many ED visits?
11% of admitted ED patients
6% of visits without admission
The ED serves many older Albertans and frail seniors?
22% of ED patients are 65+
50% of those admitted are seniors
About The Project
New Emergency Department
A new and expanded Emergency Department (ED) is being constructed on the west side of the Misericordia Community Hospital (MCH) with funding from the Alberta Government.
The $65-million project will benefit Albertans by enhancing the delivery of care, while also addressing service pressures in the area.
The facility will be state-of-the-art, with a patient-centred design that incorporates architectural best practices. Once open, it will provide a compassionate and safe care environment for patients and staff with enhanced efficiencies, privacy and safety.
The new ED will replace the existing one, which currently serves 51,000 visits per year in a space designed for 25,000.
The new ED is a significant step towards a modern, vibrant MCH that will meet the needs of the communities in west Edmonton and northern Alberta for generations to come. It follows other investments made at the site in recent years, including new Neonatal care and Mental Health units, as well as expanded Medicine units
Construction work is expected to begin in summer 2020, with the ED opening in spring 2023. The current emergency department remains open during construction to ensure patient care is uninterrupted.
Funding
The Government of Alberta has allocated $65 million for the design and construction of the new Emergency Department. This is a capital project of Alberta Infrastructure and Alberta Health, led by Alberta Health Services as provincial health authority and Covenant Health as service provider and operator. Click here to download the fact sheet
