Ontario building new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Michael’s Hospital

The Government of Ontario announced it is supporting Unity Health Toronto with the planning, design and implementation of their relocated Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at St. Michael’s Hospital.

“Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is making record investments in Ontario’s hospitals to connect more people to care closer to home,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “By investing in improvements to St. Michael’s NICU, newborn patients and their families can receive the highest standard of care during their most critical time and continue to access the care they need, where they need it, for years to come.”

Through this investment, over 12,000 square feet of space will be renovated and the entire NICU unit of bassinets will be relocated to a larger space at the new patient care tower at St. Michael’s Hospital. Additional benefits of the project will include:

• Enhanced infection prevention and control measures to ensure the health and safety of critically ill newborns.
• More private rooms to address privacy concerns and create lower stimulus environments for newborn patients.
• Expansion of the NICU to accommodate state-of-the art design standards and provide more space for specialized care.

As a next step, the ministry is working with Unity Health Toronto to complete early planning and design for this project. A construction schedule will be confirmed once future planning is complete and a project contract is tendered and awarded.

“This investment from the Ontario government for a new, expanded neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at St. Michael’s Hospital will allow us to improve the care and health outcomes for babies requiring the highest level of care, and the care experiences of their families. This project will also support provincial critical care capacity through clinical education and training of the next generation of NICU specialists in Ontario. Thank you to the Ontario government for supporting some of our youngest and smallest patients,” said Dr. Tim Rutledge, president and CEO of Unity Health Toronto.

Featured image:(L to R) Marsha Baynes, chair of the NICU Patient and Family Advisory Council; Lloyd Wilks, donor; Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health; Dr. Tim Rutledge, Unity Health President & CEO; Marisa Cicero, Senior Clinical Program Director, Women’s and Children’s Health; and Dr. Douglas Campbell, Director of the St. Michael’s NICU, at today’s announcement. (Eduardo Lima/Unity Health Toronto)