The Montfort Hospital, the largest francophone hospital west of Quebec, is mid-way through a major move and preparing to welcome patients to two new wings at its Montreal Road campus.
"It is a daunting challenge. It's - to our knowledge - never been done before in North America. Most hospitals have three to six months to do exactly what we're doing in 19 days," said Montfort Hospital President G�rald Savoie.
Hospital officials say the expansion project, which includes the installation of state-of-the-art equipment, is expected to help the hospital double in size by 2009, helping to reduce wait times in the region.
"The better we do our job, it frees up space in the other hospitals as well, for them to accommodate more patients. So, there's a whole ripple effect going on here," said Savoie.
Hospital once slated to close
Eleven years ago, the Mike Harris government planned to close the hospital - a decision that was halted after huge rallies and a court ruling deemed the hospital was too important for the francophone community. Now, the Ontario government is footing the bill for 90 per cent of the funding for the $300-million project.
"The new Montfort will give us not only all our services, but also will provide the education which is essential for our professionals in health," said Giselle Lalonde, a former mayor of Vanier who fought to keep the hospital open.
The hospital is expected to transfer patients to its new buildings August 17. Once the move is complete, hospital officials say the focus will shift to renovating old buildings.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Kate Eggins
