Queensway Carleton Hospital opening inpatient unit at Ottawa retirement home
The Queensway Carleton Hospital is closing its off-site care unit at a Kanata hospital, and is opening a new inpatient unit at a retirement home in Ottawa's Central Park neighbourhood.
The west-end hospital took over Fairfield Inn and Suites in April 2020, transforming it into an off-site unit to help alleviate pressure on the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two floors of the hotel were retrofitted to care for low-acuity, low-risk patients who were able to be safely cared for in an alternate location.
"During a time of great uncertainty, our hospital was able to do something we’ve never done before: transform a hotel into an offsite hospital inpatient unit, thanks to our partnership with Dave and the team at Fairfield Kanata," QCH President and CEO Dr. Andrew Falconer said.
"We’re thankful for their support over the past two years as our teams successfully worked together to care for people in our community."
Hospital officials say as of the end of August, there were 29,219 patient days at the Fairfield Inn.
The Queensway Carleton Hospital moved into the Kanata hotel as it was closed to visitors at the start of the pandemic, and some hotel staff remained employed during the two and a half years.
The general manager of the Fairfield Inn says 60 rooms were used by the hospital, with a dedicated medical team from QCH staffing the facility.
"Our team members were speaking with their loved ones, their family members, regularly as they called," GM Dave Fowler said. "They're guests, right. They're guests and that's how we did our best to kind of treat them that way."
With the hotel-turned-hospital unit closing, the Queensway Carleton Hospital is opening a new off-site inpatient unit at Park Place, an Alavida Lifestyles retirement home.
Queensway Carleton Hospital says Park Place will be equipped with all the care and safety provisions patients receive at the hospital, including beds with rails, enhanced cleaning, access to medications and QCH staff and physicians.
"When we first opened the hotel-turned-hospital, we thought it would be temporary. Over the last two and a half years, it has become a critical part of our operations – enabling us to safely care for more patients than ever before," Falconer said. "Park Place allows us to continue caring for these patients while we plan for the future."
The hospital will have 56 beds at the retirement home across two floors.
"These are patients who no longer require an acute medical bed," QCH Park Place off-site Clinical Manager Jaclyn Drynan said. "They’re still in hospital because they’re requiring more services to potentially get back home or waiting for a placement in retirement home or long-term care."
Staff say the new off-site location at Park Place will bridge the transition from hospital care to a retirement home.
Renovations at Fairfield Inn will begin this fall, with the hotel scheduled to reopen next spring.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP calls out Conservatives for effort to squash pharmacare legislation
The federal New Democrats are calling out Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party for trying to block the bill that could pave the way for millions of Canadians to access birth control and diabetes coverage.
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
A subset of Alzheimer's cases may be caused by two copies of a single gene, new research shows
For the first time, researchers have identified a genetic form of late-in-life Alzheimer’s disease — in people who inherit two copies of a worrisome gene.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Trudeau Liberals to unveil new bill Monday aimed at countering foreign interference
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be tabling legislation on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Federal officials have scheduled a technical briefing on the incoming bill for Monday afternoon.