Plans for a new, state-of-the-art health care facility for residents in the Kingston area are underway. Infrastructure Ontario and Providence Care have released a request for qualifications (RFQ) to design, build, finance and maintain the new Providence Care Hospital.
The redevelopment plan will bring together Providence Care’s rehabilitation, complex continuing care, specialized geriatrics, palliative care and mental health programs that are currently located at St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital and Mental Health Services (MHS) buildings. Providence Care Hospital will be built on a new site, adjacent to the existing MHS facility.
Highlights of the new hospital include:
- single inpatient rooms, in line with today’s infection control standards;
- therapy and treatment spaces on inpatient units, allowing patients to receive care close to their rooms;
- clinics on-site within the hospital, providing services accessible to inpatients and outpatients, and easing the transition from hospital to home;
- patient/client environments that link with the outdoors and the use of natural lighting throughout the facility;
- a focus on a healthy environment within the hospital and on the facility grounds, with a goal of achieving LEED Silver certification in the design and construction of the new hospital; and
- improved learning and research facilities, supporting Providence Care’s role in training health professionals.
In advance of issuing the RFQ, Infrastructure Ontario recently contracted HOK Architects as the planning, design and compliance team. HOK Architects will work with Providence Care to refine the master plan for the hospital site and prepare the performance requirements developers will work with to propose overall design and project plans for the new hospital.
The RFQ is the first step in the procurement process to select a team to design, build, finance and provide specified maintenance services to the hospital. RFQ submissions will be reviewed to pre-qualify project teams with the design, construction and facilities management experience as well as the qualified personnel and financial strength to deliver a project of this size and complexity. These teams will then be invited to respond to a request for proposals, which is expected to be released in the fall of 2012.