Humber River Hospital needs public's help to achieve $225 Million fundraising goal
By David Ros
In less than a year, North America's first fully digital hospital will open its doors, serving patients from Downsview and beyond.The first patients at the new Humber River Hospital at Keele St., and Wilson Ave., are set to be treated this October 18, 2015.Heather Hurst, the President and CEO of the Humber River Hospital Foundation said the new hospital will offer an unparalleled patient experience and help to “reinvent patient care in Canada.” “The digital perspective is not to have digital for digital's sake, it's really designed around the patient,” Hurst said. “The focus is on patient centred care and what the digital aspect is going to provide is opportunities for care providers to spend time with patients and their families.”Hurst said that the technology will not only increase the efficiency of patient care, but it will also cut down on the amount of paperwork which is in line with the hospital's three guiding principles of being “lean, green and digital.”“Everything that doctors nurses and allied health professionals do will automatically go right up into the patients' healthcare records,” Hurst said. “When a patient is in what we call a smart room they have their own bed side terminal and in this bed side terminal, they will have access to their healthcare records in their own language.”She added that the terminals will also provide patients with access to “educational portals,” where they will learn about the type of care that they will receive and can also set goals and objectives with their healthcare providers.“One of the great things about that is that the doctors and the nurses will be able to engage in conversation with the family about what they actually read and see on their healthcare record,” Hurst said.Hurst said the 1.8 million sq. ft., facility will contain 656 beds, 80 per cent of which, will be located in single patient rooms and it also boasts the second largest green roof in Canada.Increased efficiency was also a major focus of the hospital's design, with a concerted effort being made to make a really large hospital seem small. The hospital will have 9 entranceways and patients will not have to walk any more than 30 feet in order to get to their clinics.Hurst said another aspect of the hospital's patient centred approach is that families can stay with their loved ones 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and that the hospital will provide an area for families to stay over night. If families are unable to visit, patients will also be able to Skype with them from their bed side terminals.Hurst said that the digital technology will also help families of patients who have a language barrier or who are unable to verbally communicate to better understand the care their loved ones will receive.“You'll be able to see who has been in the room each day and what department they're from so you can actually engage in a discussion as to why those people saw your loved one,” Hurst said.While the government has provided a significant amount of money for construction costs, the hospital is reliant on personal and corporate donations to raise the $225 Million required to furnish and equip the hospital. Hurst said that the hospital needs to purchase 550,000 pieces of equipment and has currently raised a total of $65 Million.“Even though the hospital is opening, we still have a lot of money that we need to raise and we really want the community to know that we really need them to help us raise the money for the pieces of equipment,” Hurst said.If you wish to donate to the Humber River Hospital, or find out more information about fundraising events, you can contact the Humber River Hospital Foundation at 416-658-2001, or visit their website at www.hrfoundation.ca.