Board of Trustees

The Niagara Health System Board of Trustees is made up of volunteers who live and work in Niagara. The board is responsible for governing the NHS and providing strategic direction to meet the healthcare needs of the community within available resources.

• Jean Armitage
• Dr. Andrei Arvinte, VP, Medical Staff Association
• Stephen Butz
• Bruce Caughill
• Trevor Cooper
• Carman Dix
• Helen Eggleton
• Mike Henry
• Dr. Joanna Hope, Interim Chief of Staff
• Steve Hudson
• Dragan Matovic
• Joe McCollum
• Flo Paladino
• Jennifer Patrick
• Steven Pillar
• Dr. Ken Reddy, President, Medical Staff Association
• David Schram
• Mark Sherk
• Debbie Sevenpifer, President & CEO, Secretary to Board
• Alan Simpson
• Betty-Lou Souter, Board Chair
• Mary Turner

This past year, our hospital provided care to more than 475,000 admitted patients and outpatients. Along with providing ongoing patient care, our dedicated hospital team also:

• responded effectively to last fall’s H1N1 influenza pandemic;
• underwent a rigorous accreditation survey with success;
• made steady progress on the regional and local services for the healthcare complex under construction in west St. Catharines;
• made great strides in preventing the spread of infectious disease through good hand hygiene practice and compliance;
• completed the first year of the changes outlined in the five-year Hospital Improvement Plan (HIP) including: the conversion of Emergency Rooms (ERs) to Urgent Care Centres at Douglas Memorial and Port Colborne sites; consolidation of some surgical services (day surgery, dental, ophthalmology and plastic surgery); conversion of acute care beds to complex continuing care; and opening of the Diabetes Centre of Excellence at Welland Site.

ONGOING CHANGE: Hospital care continues to change and transform in Niagara. A number of big changes were made in 2009-10 under the HIP, with more work to be done over the next three years.
This upcoming year, we will complete plans for the centres of excellence in ophthalmology (eye surgery) at our Welland Site and complex continuing care across five sites. We are also working hard to improve quality of care and our patients’ experience, with a particular focus on reducing patient wait and treatment times in our ERs.

While there is much to do, there are great opportunities before us. The healthcare care complex being built in west St. Catharines will have a positive impact on hospital care in Niagara into the future. We also recognize and will build upon the important role all of our sites will play in the future as the hospital continues to evolve as a system.

REINVESTING: We are extremely grateful to the Province of Ontario for the $14-million annual base funding increase announced in February by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) and our Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). This additional $14 million enables the hospital to free up funds to reinvest in patient care equipment and medical technology. With this investment in place, we are in a much better position to deliver on our goal to improve our patients’ experience.

LOOKING AHEAD: Rebuilding relationships with our stakeholders within the hospital and with communities across Niagara will continue to be a key priority in the coming year. We will also be reaching out to the community in the coming year as we develop our 2014 vision for input and feedback as we continue to transform patient care delivery in Niagara to meet our population healthcare needs.

OUR GRATITUDE: We recognize and appreciate the tremendous amount of change that has occurred in recent years – bringing the most significant reconfiguration of patient care services ever experienced in Niagara, affecting the patients we serve, local communities and the members of our hospital family who provide care and service.

As we reflect on the past year and look to the future, we extend our sincerest thanks and appreciation to everyone on our healthcare team – our staff, physicians, volunteers, our foundations and their donors, our auxiliaries, and all residents of Niagara who we serve. «

Condensed Statement of Financial Position as at March 31

Condensed Statement of Operations year ended March 31

Financial Report 2009-10

The Niagara Health System publishes its audited financial statements every year as part of our financial accountability and responsibility to the community.  The complete set of financial statements for fiscal 2009-10 (April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010) is posted on the NHS  website.

The NHS received $25 million in one-time funding to assist with expenses that occurred with the 2008/09 implementation of early opportunities in the Hospital Improvement Plan (HIP) and also to address financial expenditures arising from previous years’ restructuring activities.

The NHS also received an additional $14 million in base funding for the year.  The annual base funding increase is in recognition and support of the ongoing implementation of the HIP and addresses the acknowledged base funding shortfalls.

The NHS ended the year with a deficit from operations of $3.4 million, or a negative operating margin of 0.85%, on an annual budget of $400 million.

Our staff’s commitment to managing within available resources, plus a combination of cost savings, debt repayment, and new funding support, has made this improvement in our financial position possible.

The auditors expressed no major issues or concerns during the course of the audit. «

Revenue sources for 2009-10

Approximately 85% of our revenue, in base and one-time funding, was received from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) and the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant (HNHB) Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) during the fiscal year.

Average emergency visit: $233

Eighty per cent of expenses are related to direct patient care like nursing, pharmacy, diagnostic imaging, laboratory and therapies. An additional 10% is related to support services like housekeeping, food and maintenance. The remaining 10% is for administrative costs like administration, human resources, finance, material management, information and communication services.

Expense breakdown for 2009-10

The majority of funds are directed towards direct patient care, 78% in 2009/10 compared to 77.9% in 2008/09.
The NHS continues to benchmark its financial performance to that of comparable hospitals and uses this peer-to-peer comparison data during its budget and planning cycle to ensure that we provide services to the community in a cost effective and efficient manner.

Average inpatient cost per day: $1,040

Approximately 78% of expenses are related to direct patient care like nursing, pharmacy, diagnostic imaging, laboratory and therapies. An additional 12% is related to support services like housekeeping, food and maintenance. The remaining 10% is for administrative costs like administration, human resources, finance, material management, information and communication services.

Equipment

In 2009/10, the hospital invested $16.7 million in equipment and building infrastructure upgrades. The majority of capital spending is financed through the provincial and federal governments and local Foundations and Auxiliaries. In the absence of positive working capital and cash, the NHS must rely solely on donations from foundations and auxiliaries to fund necessary new and replacement medical equipment. Annually, the NHS’s capital needs exceed funding by approximately $8 million. The NHS is committed to addressing and stabilizing our capital equipment deficiency.

Hospital Accountability Agreement

The NHS has signed the Hospital Service Accountability Agreement with the HNHB LHIN for the 2008/09 to 2010/11 fiscal years. This agreement sets out the roles and responsibilities of both parties with respect to funding, performance and service. Together, NHS and the HNHB LHIN will monitor progress under this agreement, posted on the NHS website.

Hospital Improvement Plan (HIP)

In July 2008, the NHS developed the five-year HIP. This plan is a framework for the NHS to enhance quality of hospital care across Niagara over the long term while at the same time balance financial pressures, the needs of Niagara’s aging population and the challenges of the ongoing shortage of doctors, nurses and other health professionals. The plan was endorsed by the LHIN in December 2008.

As has been our priority over the last number of years, we have been rebuilding our financial health. The HIP includes more than $28 million of savings over the five-year period through the creation of centres of excellence, improved quality and efficiency initiatives and by working collaboratively with the HNHB LHIN and other community agencies to ensure our patients are cared for in the most appropriate setting. Approximately $16 million in savings have been achieved since the 2008/09 fiscal year.

Community healthcare supports allowed Doris Bourque, above, to return home a week after having surgery to remove a tumour the size of a grapefruit growing from her bowel.

At 92 years of age, having surgery wasn’t something Doris Bourque would ever have considered — until she didn’t have much choice.

After quietly ringing in 2010 by sharing a fondue dinner with family and watching television highlights of New Year’s Eve activities, the St. Catharines woman went to bed well before midnight but later than usual.

When a nurse at Tufford Manor Retirement Home checked in on Doris the morning of January 1 as part of their usual routine, she discovered Doris was experiencing severe abdominal pain and could not get out of bed.

An ambulance was called, and Doris was taken to the St. Catharines General Site Emergency Department to be checked out.

Numerous tests were ordered by ER physician Dr. Tim St. Amand, including blood work and a CT Scan. Consultation followed with the on-call surgeon, Dr. Chris Blewett, and Internist Dr. Juan Velasquez. The diagnosis: Doris had a tumour the size of a grapefruit growing from her bowel and pushing on her organs.

Doris was admitted to the 4th floor surgical unit, and Dr. Blewett performed bowel surgery on Doris several days later, removing the cancerous tumour.

“I lived most of my life in Montreal and only moved to St. Catharines last year to be near my family,” says Doris. “I found being in the hospital scary and confusing at times. I wasn’t familiar with the surroundings, and I was really worried about having surgery. I don’t see very well, which makes it difficult to make out faces or find my way around.”

Doris was admitted to the Telemetry Unit at St. Catharines General Site after her surgery so her heart and overall condition could be closely monitored.

Over the course of the next week, she was cared for by surgeons, nurses, internists, cardiologists, physiotherapists, and finally discharge planners when it came time for Doris to go home.

The hospital’s discharge planners and Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) played a key role in Doris’s discharge. Working together, they identified and arranged the supports Doris would need in order to leave the hospital.

When she arrived home to her room at the retirement home, a special bed rail was already installed to help her get in and out of bed. Arrangements were also made for a personal support worker to come to the home twice a day to help Doris – in the mornings to get dressed and in the evenings to get ready for bed – as she continued to recover from her surgery. This was in addition to the extra attention she received from the staff at Tufford.

“I was afraid to go home because I didn’t think I would be able to cope, but the staff here at Tufford, in the hospital and with CCAC were all so kind and so helpful,” says Doris.  “I am so grateful to everyone and can’t thank them enough for helping me get through my surgery. I am so happy to be back home.”

From left, Regional Director of Utilization Jane Cornelius works closely with Sandra DeLazzer, a Discharge Planner at St. Catharines General Site, and Medical Unit Charge Nurse Christena Watterson, to ensure patients’ care needs can be met in an appropriate and safe environment when they leave the hospital.

Like Doris’s journey, a patient’s journey can be long, complex and at times very intimidating.

“In healthcare today, a hospital patient will interact with multiple caregivers as their journey unfolds,” says Interim Chief of Staff Dr. Joanna Hope. “Increasingly, patient needs are complicated. They often come to hospital with more than one condition.”

Being in hospital is just one step along the journey. More and more, healthcare providers of all kinds are working as part of a bigger system of care.

In the past, patients would stay in the hospital until they fully recovered from an acute condition. Today, hospitals across the province, including Niagara Health, are becoming more clearly defined as the key providers of acute care. At the same time, community healthcare providers, like CCAC, are becoming clearly defined as the key providers of care that can be delivered in the community while a patient recovers from an acute event.

“Care providers in hospital and in the community are working together to ensure patients get the hospital care they need and return to their homes to receive care from community providers,” says Jane Cornelius, Regional Director of Utilization.

“The concept of hospitals being the provider of the majority of healthcare needs is indeed a thing of the past,” says Jane. “It just isn’t possible anymore given the increasing demand for care and associated costs; medical advances in the way care is provided; changes in technology; a persistent global shortage of doctors and nurses; and other trends in healthcare.”

Among many new initiatives, Niagara Health is doing things differently by  creating centres of excellence in which specialists work more closely together with the best technology. There is greater focus on health promotion and investments in management of chronic diseases like diabetes and stroke.

“Every hospital has to take all of these realities into consideration in order to provide people with the best possible care,” says Dr. Hope, “not only today in 2010 but in the future.” «

Focus on those we serve

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Hospital Improvement Plan – A number of services were consolidated last year to improve efficiency and quality care, including surgeries such as ophthalmology, plastics and day surgery. Thirty beds were closed across a number of sites. Two Emergency Departments were converted to Urgent Care Centres, and statistics show that 95% of patients in Port Colborne and Fort Erie continue to receive the care they need at those two Urgent Care locations.
• Opening CSI Units – New rapid assessment areas, called Clinical Systems Investigation or CSI units, have opened in Welland and Niagara Falls ERs, following the model piloted at St. Catharines General Site to reduce wait times. The goal of the unit is to speed up diagnostic and lab tests and start treatment sooner for urgent patients. Other initiatives to reduce wait times – which are a key priority for the hospital this year – include providing nurses with the responsibilty to order tests that previously would have to wait for the physician to order. Already, the data is showing a reduction in wait / treatment times, from 18.6 hours for high-acuity patients to 16.9 hours, and from 6.4 hours for low-acuity patients to 6 hours. There’s more work to be done, but these and other initiatives are setting us on the right track.
• New CT Scanners – Two 128-slice Siemens CT scanners were purchased and installed at Welland and St. Catharines General sites, replacing aging equipment. The new scanners allow routine tests to be done faster, more specialized types of exams, and lower radiation exposure. Purchase of the equipment and renovations were made possible by the fundraising efforts of Welland Hospital Foundation and St. Catharines General Hospital Foundation.
• More Community Engagement – To help the public understand the changing hospital environment, a concerted effort was made to expand community engagement activities. More than 50 information sessions, open houses and speaking engagements took place to inform the public of services during the last fiscal year. A new Speakers Bureau, where healthcare professionals are booked to present to service clubs and community groups, also started up in 2009, with several different healthcare topics offered.

This past year has seen some major improvements in both patient safety and quality care initiatives, including the introduction of Patient Safety WalkArounds. These are mini-tours of clinical areas by leaders and front-line staff during which staff bring forward patient safety issues they’ve identified, the team brainstorms, and follow-up discussion occurs to make improvements. Various themes are identified for each round, such as patient identification and falls prevention.

In addition, increased awareness of new practices in hand hygiene has led to a significant shift in culture in which Niagara Health clinical and support staff wash their hands much more frequently at key times during interactions with patients.

Education sessions, more hand cleanser dispensers, increased signage and more staff discussions have all made a difference. A hand hygiene audit in March 2009 at all sites during various shifts was repeated earlier this year, and shows an impressive improvement in hand hygiene compliance. By the end of the fiscal year, there was a 90% overall compliance rate across all sites. In addition, the number of infection outbreaks on clinical units decreased by 55%, compared to 2008-09. «

During Patient Safety WalkArounds, leaders connect with front-line staff to discuss issues and solutions. Pictured at the Welland Site ER nursing station are, from left, CEO Debbie Sevenpifer, Dr. Maynard Luterman, RN Vicky Walters, Vice President Patient Services Sue Matthews, RN Nathan Anger, and Patient Safety Specialist Cindo Ko.

Bring out the best in each other

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• NHS Awards of Excellence – A number of different award presentations are organized each year that stem from nominations by staff for their peers and colleagues. Interprofessional Awards are the newest group, awarded to clinical team members who exhibit a patient-focused mindset. Nursing Awards are given to RNs and RPNs who go above and beyond the call of duty. Awards of Excellence are given to staff in all job areas and are selected for their embodiment of our success factors and CPR – compassion, professionalism and respect.
• Pioneer in Nephrology leaves lasting impact – Dr. Art Shimizu retired at the end of 2009 after a distinguished career serving kidney disease patients in Niagara and Hamilton. One of his greatest achievements was the creation of the Canadian Renal Failure Registry in 1972, still used today. The Dr. Art Shimizu Award will be given each year to a medical student who displays a commitment to excellence and an interest in Nephrology.
• Raising awareness for organ donations – In partnership with the Trillium Gift of Life Network, last year the number of eye donations at Niagara Health climbed to 132 eyes recovered. In addition, there were eight multiple organ donors, resulting in the recovery and transplant of 23 life-saving organs, and five multiple tissue donations (such as skin, bone and heart valves), enhancing the lives of over 300 individuals.
• NHS winner of gold award – For the fourth year, Niagara Health was honoured with a Gold Award from Healthy Living Niagara, which celebrates workplaces that encourage healthy eating, physical activity and smoke-free living. This is the fifth year the NHS has received an award from the regional initiative led by Niagara Region Public Health.

Niagara was among the first in the province to experience an outbreak of H1N1 last fall. Patient volumes across Niagara rose alarmingly. An average number of total daily visits to our six ERs and Urgent Care Centres in the fall is 526 patients. However, on Oct. 28, that number rose to an overwhelming 756 patients, and more than half of those patients had flu symptoms.

To manage this incredible volume, Niagara Health opened a dedicated Flu Assessment Centre in St. Catharines, where the highest number of patients were presenting with flu symptoms. In a short five days, the old ER space at Ontario Street Site was cleaned, equipped, stocked, staffed and taking patients, thanks to people from myriad departments all working together.

Daily routines were interrupted, hospital entrances were restricted and monitored, and the hospital had to deal with a high number of our own staff off sick with the flu by postponing patient procedures and clinics and redeploying staff to vital areas.

“This was an extremely difficult period, but as in any emergency, our staff and physicians rose to the occasion,” says CEO Debbie Sevenpifer. “I am immensely proud of the effort we put forth to serve the Niagara community with partners such as Niagara Region Public Health and Community Care Access Centre. Our pre-planning for a pandemic was enormously helpful, and we have integrated learnings from H1N1 to ensure an even better response next time.” «

Addiction treatment leaders, from left, Abby Smith, Norma Medulun and David Barry stepped up to open and co-ordinate staffing of a Flu Assessment Centre. Niagara Health operated the centre for the first half of November to manage the increased volume of patients at the height of the H1N1 outbreak.

Build strong and successful relationships

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Niagara Health Now – Finding a way to communicate to many different audiences is a challenge that has been ably met with Niagara Health Now, a new 12-page monthly newspaper offering a range of information to appeal to members of the hospital family, community partners and the general public. It is available online and in more than 70 locations, including libraries and long-term care homes throughout Niagara.
• New family physician office at Port Colborne Site – A new family physician is now serving Port Colborne. Dr. Haibo Xu began his family practice at Port Colborne Site in December. This was a collaborative effort between the City of Port Colborne and Niagara Health to bring more primary healthcare to the area.
• Helping in Haiti – Niagara Health Lab Technologist Donna Thiessen and RN Else Marie Regier answered the call for healthcare professionals during the devastating February earthquake, spending several days helping out. Back home, Engineering Manager Bill Lewis helped arrange the delivery of out-of-service NHS equipment, including anesthetic machines and an X-ray fluoroscopy machine, for use in the medical relief effort.
• Take CARE of Your Future Camp – Take CARE (Career Awareness and Resource Exploration) of Your Future Camp was once again a great success during March break, when 24 Grade 11 and 12 students from across Niagara participated in workshops and met peers with similar interests. This educational and potential recruitment opportunity is fairly unique in Ontario and is made possible through an extensive partnership of Niagara agencies.

People are our greatest resource, and the larger Niagara Health family includes auxiliaries, foundations and volunteers who are key supports we simply couldn’t do without.

Our Auxiliary members combine their support for our sites in two ways – services for patients and fundraising. The St. Catharines General Hospital Auxiliary, celebrating 145 years of continuous service in 2010, is the oldest hospital auxiliary in Canada. Gift shops, fundraising events, sewing circles and bedside support are a few of the functions these volunteers provide.

Another key support comes from our seven hospital foundations, working actively to raise much-needed funds for new medical equipment. The government does not fund replacement medical equipment, so the money for these important purchases must come from our communities. Even in these challenging economic times, our foundations have been able to meet – and in some cases exceed – their respective fundraising goals, raising $7,665,844 last year to purchase new or replacement equipment for our seven sites, and for equipment for the future healthcare complex and Walker Family Cancer Centre, now under construction in west St. Catharines.

Our group of volunteers are more than 1,000 strong. They come from all walks of life and are all ages, some bringing a special interest or hobby to brighten patients’ days, such as pet therapy or playing the piano. Others assist with greeting patients or serving on the Board of Trustees and Standing Committees. Quite simply, our volunteers are an integral part of the care team, and they do their volunteer work with warmth, kindness and professionalism.

To our auxiliaries, foundations and volunteers, thank you for the difference you make in our community! «

Greater Niagara General Hospital Auxilians, from left, Margaret Hein, Clara Garritano and President Isabelle Muracco make a difference in the lives of people around them by working in the gift shop at the site, among their many volunteer efforts.

Create a better way

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• GNG Site surgeons launch new training program – An innovative way for surgeons to learn new ways to perform laparoscopic or keyhole surgery began in 2009. The Ontario Telemedicine Network is a high-tech fibre-optic system that connects healthcare partners, and through the audio/video feed, surgeons at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton linked directly with the OR at Greater Niagara General Site during a bowel resection surgery to advise and mentor on new surgical techniques.
• New Laboratory technology – Niagara Health was the first hospital system in Canada to install the Vitros 5600, new laboratory equipment that allows lab staff to speed up the testing process. It holds over 100 samples at a time and eliminates the need to split or move samples manually between instruments. Another benefit is that smaller blood samples can be used. The new equipment performs 90% of tests typically needed in a hospital laboratory, is twice as fast as its predecessor, and is in service at Greater Niagara, St. Catharines General and Welland sites. The three instruments were a no-cost upgrade to existing equipment.
• New technology for breast exams – Installed in fall 2009, a new digital mammography unit at St. Catharines General Site replaces traditional film mammograms, and provides breast images with outstanding clarity and contrast. The technology is integrated into the regional image archive system so radiologists, surgeons and other specialists can access it from hospital or physician office computers. The $800,000 diagnostic equipment was made possible by a number of fundraising events by the St. Catharines General Hospital Foundation.
• Timely care in new Urgent Care Centres – Improving treatment time for patients in ERs and Urgent Care Centres is a province-wide struggle. In Niagara, the new Urgent Care Centres in Port Colborne and Douglas Memorial sites have been in operation since 2009 and are averaging treatment times of under three hours for patients with minor ailments, similar to the treatment time at the Urgent Care Centre in St. Catharines’ Ontario Street Site. Compared to six to eight hours for minor ailments in an ER, Urgent Care Centres are the place to go for timely care.

An expanding partnership with McMaster University’s Michael G. DeGroote Medical School means a new way to encourage physicians to live and practice in Niagara.

The Niagara Regional Campus, centred at St. Catharines General Site, opened in 2008, and last year, family medicine post-graduate training expanded for the first time. It now includes residents who have their three-year medical degree and are moving into two years of residency in family medicine. For these students, classroom study is minimal, and they work and study in the hospital environment and in physician offices. The residency period varies, from two years for family medicine to six years for a sub-specialty such as vascular surgery.

This is a win-win for everyone – a teaching environment is of benefit not only to patients, but to hospital staff, medical colleagues, students, and ultimately the community, says Dr. Karl Stobbe, Regional Assistant Dean for the Niagara Campus. “When hospitals become teaching campuses for medical students, the calibre of healthcare increases.” The students’ training experiences at every NHS site should prove fertile ground when they graduate and decide where to set up practice. «

NHS Registered Orthopedic Technician Ron French and Registered Practical Nurse Patti Abbott demonstrate a casting procedure for second-year medical students, in background, from left, David Heywood, Jeff Bacher, Robin Visser and Jorin Lukings. Photo by Chris Henderson, McMaster University

Use our resources wisely

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Better bed utilization – All hospitals have to compare how they use their patient beds and meet targets or goals to ensure the highest number of patients are getting the care they need. In many areas, Niagara Health is meeting and exceeding these benchmarks, and in areas where we need to do better, we are liaising with Hamilton and other partners to get our patients access to timely care for specialty procedures and services such as angioplasty. This usually results in faster discharge home for patients.
• Reducing our Alternate Level of Care (ALC) rate – By working closely with Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) and Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre, we have improved patient flow for ALC patients, who no longer need acute hospital care but cannot safely be discharged home. A new communications board on our nursing units identifies predicted discharge dates for these patients, allowing hospital and CCAC staff to better plan for patient discharges or transfers. There are still more improvements to be made in this area for patients and their families, but our ALC efforts are moving in the right direction, meaning more patients are getting the care they need by the appropriate care providers.
• Reducing energy costs – Finding ways to save on an annual utility budget of more than $6 million means constant forecasting and review of current market conditions. A move to procure electricity and natural gas on the open market, rather than through advance bulk purchasing, has made a noticeable difference. More than $1 million has been saved in the last few years, allowing much-needed operational dollars to be used for direct patient care.
• Virtualized computer servers – More than 100 traditional computer servers to store and power a wide range of clinical software applications have been reduced to just eight servers. The electricity load, cooling cost, and space required was a budget concern so last summer the move was made to eight virtual servers feeding all seven NHS sites and Hotel Dieu Shaver. This new technology has saved more than $200,000, costs less to run and cool, takes up much less space and allows a number of software applications to reside on the same server.

By going green, the new healthcare complex being built in St. Catharines will be a healthy environment when it opens in 2013 – literally. The entire project is being developed to comply with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED certification. This is an internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings and homes. As a LEED-certified building, we will reduce water and energy use, source building materials in an environmentally responsible manner, and minimize the hospital’s overall ecological footprint, not only during construction, but for the life of the building.

The LEED system recognizes performance in five key areas of human and environmental health – sustainable site planning, safeguarding water and water efficiency, energy efficiency and renewable energy, conservation of materials and resources, and indoor environmental air quality.

Examples include the creation of a conservation-based storm water management system, and the use of energy-efficient lighting, heating and cooling fixtures to meet energy performance standards. «

Patient rooms in the new healthcare complex, like the one depicted here, are being designed to be energy efficient and patient friendly. For example, each room will have water-efficient showerheads, taps and toilets.