General Information
Milestone announcement: Phase 1A Redevelopment proposal submitted to the ministry
Redevelopment at SHN
Scarborough Health Network (SHN) has big plans underway to “Build It Forward” for the future of our community’s healthcare.
SHN’s Birchmount, Centenary, and General hospitals were built in 1985, 1967, and 1956, respectively. Healthcare has come a long way over the last 70 years, with innovation, groundbreaking research and cutting-edge technology contributing to better health outcomes. The Scarborough community needs a dramatic expansion to health services and we are rewriting our story to bring our community the infrastructure and equipment to match our exceptional medical and clinical talent.
SHN is embarking on ambitious capital expansion and renewal projects through a multi-year redevelopment strategy (Master Plan) that will ensure our hospitals’ services and facilities meet Scarborough’s evolving needs into the future, and transform healthcare for our diverse and growing community.
Building it with Love
We can’t do it alone. SHN must raise our local share to make these exciting projects a reality. Like all Ontario hospitals, we are responsible for 10% of all infrastructure costs and 100% of all new equipment to ensure our exceptional healthcare teams have the tools they need to continue caring for our community.
You can help SHN build it forward by joining the Love, Scarborough campaign and donating today.
Learn more about how hospital redevelopment works:
The Ministry of Health’s capital planning process provides oversight of each of SHN’s capital planning and redevelopment projects, through a rigorous approval process consisting of three stages. Each stage builds on information developed from the previous stage, moving from planning through design and implementation. Stakeholder engagement is essential and is taking place at each step of the process.
Planning Principles
In our redevelopment and expansion work, SHN will:
- Enhance our patients’ experience and access to healthcare
- Enhance the experience and well-being of our staff, physicians, volunteers, and learners
- Conduct evidence-based planning that meets the needs of our growing community
- Embed innovation in every step, from new models of care to technology-enabled facilities
- Conduct engagement throughout Planning and Design
- Build for future flexibility and adaptability
SHN’s redevelopment and expansion projects will be a multi-year investment that will shape the future of our community’s healthcare.
When a new hospital is built in Ontario, the provincial government agrees to pay the majority of the hospital construction costs, but not the entire cost. The communities served by the hospital are responsible for a local share of the project. The “local share” of financing the project is a government requirement, estimated to be between 25-30 per cent of the total project cost, and includes a portion of the total project cost, as well costs for new equipment, furniture, fixtures, and parking lot infrastructure.
We are grateful that the Ontario Government will be investing more than $1 billion into several projects for SHN and to our generous donors who have supported the Love, Scarborough campaign. All funds raised will support critical, immediate projects like expanding our emergency departments, innovating diagnostic imaging, improving kidney care, and removing barriers to mental health care.
Projects
SHN Redevelopment and Capital Projects
We have many exciting projects underway. With support from the Ontario Government, our Scarborough community, and staff, doctors, nurses, and volunteers, we are excited to share more information about our major projects.
At Birchmount
Birchmount Hospital Redevelopment
A real game-changer for the people of Scarborough, the new Birchmount Hospital will be the largest redevelopment in SHN’s history. We’re building it with love to create a healthy future for the community we call home, for generations to come.
Once complete, Birchmount Hospital will nearly double its current capacity and will include:
- Construction of a podium and multi-level, state-of-the-art inpatient tower on the south side of the existing building.
- New above-grade parking structure on the north side of the building.
- New below-grade parking on the south side of the building
- 14 new operating rooms and more than 200 new inpatient beds.
- New, “no-wait” emergency department, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, pharmacy, and allied health spaces.
- Expanded services will include medicine, surgery, critical care, mental health, and stroke.
- Additional shelled (or unfinished spaces) to support future growth.
- Renovations to the existing Birchmount Hospital to create staff and visitor amenities, such as wellness spaces and expanded retail food options.
At Centenary
This new ED will offer “no wait” emergency services, based on a leading model that will incorporate a physician at the front-end for patients in need of urgent care, to more efficiently triage, test, and treat patients, thereby reducing wait times. It will also feature spaces that support more effective patient flow; intuitive wayfinding; more isolation rooms; full separation between care spaces; and purpose-built rooms for mental health and pediatric patients.
EXPANDED FRACTURE CLINIC, CARDIAC AND ARRHYTHMIA CLINICS, AND A DIALYSIS UNIT
This investment into training the next generation of Ontario’s healthcare professionals will offer state-of-the-art simulation laboratories, technology-enabled classrooms, and wellness spaces for learners and residents.
At General
At the heart of our community, SHN’s General Hospital will soon become home to the most advanced modern imaging facility in Toronto. The Northpine Diagnostic Imaging Department will feature the newest technology in CT scanners, interventional radiology suites, MRI, X-ray and ultrasound.
This new suite will result in a modern operating room to support the lifesaving vascular procedures performed by SHN’s surgical team.
We are transforming an existing storage space into a new dialysis unit to expand the existing hemodialysis unit and meet the need for chronic kidney disease care in our community.
In the community
The first-of-its-kind in Ontario, the Bridletowne Neighbourhood Centre will be a 200,000-square foot community hub that will house an innovative collaboration between the YMCA of Greater Toronto, United Way Greater Toronto, SHN, and other community service organizations. This collective is bringing vital programs, healthcare and inclusive community spaces together under one roof to provide for the complex and growing needs of Scarborough.
With 71,000 square feet for dialysis and chronic disease services at Bridletowne, SHN will expand our hemodialysis and chronic kidney disease programs with 45 dialysis treatment stations and nine home-training stations, as well as provide cooking classes, exercise facilities, and education about chronic disease prevention.
SHN is knocking on the door to a better healthcare experience for patients who access our ambulatory and community outpatient mental health services. For the first time, SHN will bring these services together at one central Community Mental Health Centre, to be located at Warden and Eglinton in the heart of Scarborough’s Golden Mile district.
Engagement
Engaging our community and stakeholders
We are committed to incorporating the unique needs of Scarborough into every element of design as we continue to shape the future of healthcare at SHN. Over the coming months and years, SHN will be engaging patients, families, physicians, staff, partners, community members, Scarborough residents and other stakeholders about the future of healthcare in Scarborough.
Together, you are helping us to realize our vision of being Canada’s leading teaching community health network and transforming your health experience. This is truly an exciting time for all who live and work in Scarborough—and we’re just getting started.
Community feedback about the Birchmount redevelopment project
SHN held two Birchmount Redevelopment Community Forums in March. Each event began with an informative presentation by the SHN Redevelopment team, followed by interactive opportunities for sharing feedback and asking questions.
Questions and considerations
There are many important things to consider throughout this process. We want to hear your ideas and feedback.
What do you think are the most important design elements in a new hospital, outpatient clinic, or community care setting?
What excites you about SHN’s redevelopment and expansion work? What are the biggest risks?
Imagine that all of SHN’s redevelopment and expansion work is complete. What do healthcare and the patient experience in Scarborough look and feel like?
What is important for you to know about SHN’s redevelopment and expansion projects?
Frequently Asked Questions
SHN is embarking on an ambitious capital expansion and renewal project that will ensure our hospitals’ services and facilities meet Scarborough’s evolving needs into the future and transform healthcare for our diverse and growing community.
The first phase of this long-range work towards realizing SHN’s overarching Master Plan will be to build a new hospital at our Birchmount site. Other major capital projects are also underway across SHN, including:
- The Bridletowne Neighbourhood Centre and associated dialysis units;
- General Hospital diagnostic imaging department, in addition to a new operating suite and vascular surgery suite;
- Centenary Hospital no-wait emergency department, in addition to new fracture, cardiac diagnostics and arrhythmia clinics;
- New Community Mental Health Centre; and
- Creation of the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH) education centre at Centenary Hospital.
The Ministry of Health’s capital planning process provides oversight of each of SHN’s capital planning and redevelopment projects, through a rigorous approval process consisting of three stages. Each stage builds on information developed from the previous stage, moving from planning through design and implementation. Stakeholder engagement is essential and is taking place at each step of the process.
SHN’s Birchmount Hospital redevelopment is in the final planning phase, having received endorsement from the Ministry of Health to complete and submit a functional program (outlining important details such as projected patient volumes, staffing, and major equipment and space requirements) this spring.
Construction on the new diagnostic imaging department at the General Hospital began last fall. The Bridletowne Neighbourhood Centre is scheduled to break ground this June. We are working closely with the Ministry of Health and Infrastructure Ontario to expedite construction for the Birchmount Hospital.
We do not have any plans to close the General Hospital. We are continuing to make significant investments into the General Hospital with a new diagnostic imaging department, a new vascular surgery suite, and a new dialysis unit, bringing the infrastructure and equipment needed to match our exceptional medical and clinical talent.
Construction on the new diagnostic imaging department at the General Hospital began last fall. The Bridletowne Neighbourhood Centre is scheduled to break ground this June. We are working closely with the Ministry of Health and Infrastructure Ontario to expedite construction for the Birchmount Hospital.
Well will continue to keep our community informed about construction starts for the remaining redevelopment projects.
SHN’s redevelopment and expansion work will be a multi-billion dollar-investment into the future of our community’s healthcare.
The Government of Ontario covers 90% of the cost of eligible hospital construction, and 100% of the planning costs. The remaining 10% of construction costs, major equipment and technology required in the hospital is covered by the hospital’s “local share.” Local share means the portion of total project costs required to be raised by the local community. Overall, the local share will be in the range of 15-25% of the overall costs.
We are grateful that the Government of Ontario in 2022 committed $1.2 billion in funding to SHN and that generous donors have contributed more than $100 million to-date through our Love, Scarborough campaign—and we’re just getting started.
All of these projects will result in a dramatic expansion to health services in Scarborough, bringing the infrastructure and equipment needed to match our exceptional medical and clinical talent. This is truly an exciting time for all who live and work in Scarborough.
To ensure that the essential services that the Birchmount Hospital provides remain close to home and accessible to the community it serves, the hospital’s redevelopment is occurring on the existing site. This also aligns with the Ministry of Health’s preference to invest in the expansion of existing sites. Other considerations when determining the feasibility of building on a new site included the distance, cost of purchasing and timeline of availability for a new location.
We will continue to partner with our patients and their families in delivering exceptional, quality care, and will work closely with our local community to ensure traffic flow on the property is manageable so patients and visitors, emergency services, and staff and medical staff can easily access the hospital.
As with all major construction projects, we anticipate that the surrounding community will experience some higher levels of noise during working hours, in addition to changes in traffic and pedestrian access around the hospital property.
SHN is committed to building the new Birchmount Hospital while continuing to partner with our patients and their families in the delivery of exceptional, quality care.
We will work closely with our local community to ensure that traffic flow on the property is manageable so that patients and visitors, emergency services, and staff and medical staff can easily access the hospital.
As always, the highest standards of patient care will remain our top priority throughout redevelopment. SHN will continue to operate at all of our sites during construction.
There may be temporary changes to how patients and visitors access the hospital during construction. We will work hard to keep any changes to a minimum and we will keep the community informed throughout the process. We will work closely with our local community to ensure that traffic flow on the property is manageable so that patients and visitors, emergency services, and staff and medical staff can easily access the hospital.
SHN is committed to building the new Birchmount Hospital while continuing to partner with our patients and their families in the delivery of exceptional quality care.
Building a no-wait emergency department is based on a leading model that will incorporate a physician at the front-end for patients in need of urgent care, to more efficiently triage, test and treat patients, thereby reducing wait times. The new Orlando Corporation Emergency Department at Birchmount Hospital and Northpine Emergency Department at Centenary Hospital will each feature no-wait emergency services.
The new Northpine Emergency Department at Centenary Hospital will feature: spaces that support more effective patient flow; intuitive wayfinding; more isolation rooms; full separation between care spaces; and purpose-built rooms for mental health and pediatric patients. Part of the redevelopment will include an expanded fracture clinic, cardiac and arrhythmia clinics, and a dialysis unit.
Contact us
To share feedback, or for questions or more information, please email us at communications@shn.ca.