Work has officially begun on the modernization of St. Mary’s Emergency Department – a $16.3-million project and key priority of the Next Century of Care campaign. Our community celebrated the milestone at a launch event on September 23.
A Morning to Mark the Start
More than 50 guests, partners, and dignitaries gathered in St. Mary’s Centennial headquarters for the press conference. Foundation President and CEO Nadia Wendowsky hosted the event, joined by Dan Gabay, President and CEO of Santé Québec – Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal – universitaire; Dr. Suj Sivaraman, Associate Director of Medical Affairs and Professional Services; and Claude St-Jean, nephew of the late Paul Durocher.
Michelle Setlakwe, MNA for Mont-Royal–Outremont, and Stéphanie Valenzuela, Mayor of the Borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, were among the dignitaries in attendance.
The date carried deep personal meaning: September 23 would have been Paul Durocher’s birthday. Mr. St-Jean paid tribute to his uncle, a humble man of extraordinary drive and generosity whose visionary legacy gift set the Next Century of Care campaign in motion.
The morning’s highlight came when leaders from the Foundation and Santé Québec unveiled architectural renderings of the upcoming Emergency Department, offering guests their first look at the state-of-the-art facility taking shape over the next three years. Several media outlets were on site, conducting interviews with speakers following the formal remarks.
A Department at Its Limit
Last year, St. Mary’s Emergency Department recorded 35,904 visits, and demand keeps rising. The department is seeing more high-acuity patients, seniors, and ambulance arrivals, yet has only a handful of exam rooms. At times, patients are sometimes assessed in hallways.
Even so, St. Mary’s Emergency Department consistently ranks among the best in Quebec on provincial patient-flow measures. Its Geriatric Multidisciplinary Team cut older patients’ time in the ED by 11.5 hours and their admissions by 16% in its first year, and St. Mary’s became the first hospital on the island of Montreal to earn Geriatric Emergency Department accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians. But the space itself now sets the limit.
The modernization project changes that, thanks to funding provided entirely by St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation donors.
Key Planned Improvements
- A direct-access ambulatory hub with two new examination rooms, streamlining care pathways for lower-acuity patients
- A five-seat Rapid Assessment Zone to strengthen triage and the management of patients who don’t require a stretcher
- Additional space to temporarily accommodate five overflow stretchers
- Stretchers relocated around dedicated nursing stations, for more efficient workflow and closer patient monitoring
- A redesigned waiting area that eases crowding and offers a better experience for patients and families
Open Through Every Phase
Construction will unfold in five phases over three years, and the Emergency Department will remain fully operational throughout, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Once complete, the modernized department will give patients and care teams functional, purpose-built spaces and smoother care pathways, in a welcoming, dignified environment designed to meet today’s demand and the community’s future needs.
Learn more about the Emergency Department modernization project and timeline. We’ll share updates as the work progresses.
