Ontario government, CHEO break ground on new integrated treatment centre

Shovels are in the ground on a new treatment centre at CHEO expected to serve more than 13,000 children and youth in need. CTV’s Peter Szperling reports.

A ceremony was held at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Thursday morning to break ground on a new integrated treatment centre.

The new, fully accessible, state-of-the-art children’s treatment centre will provide integrated and coordinated care under one roof to better serve children and youth living with complex medical, developmental and behavioural needs, connecting them to the care they need, closer to home, the Ontario government said in a news release Thursday.

Once completed, the new six-storey, 200,000 sq. ft. facility on Smyth Road will serve approximately 13,700 children and youth with special needs, along with their families.

It will offer a range of programs, including:

• on-site rehabilitation services, including occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech-language pathology, recreation therapy, and support therapies;
• coordinating care for children and youth with multiple and/or complex special needs;
• rehabilitation services at schools; and
• services for children and youth with neurodevelopmental disorders, including, for example, services offered under the Ontario Autism Program and the Extensive Needs Service, which connects families to a multi-disciplinary team of professionals, including physicians, social workers and behavioural consultants to provide tailored supports based on the individual needs of the child or youth and their families.

“It’s a huge step forward,” said Michael Parsa, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

“The construction of this new facility is part of our government’s $600 million across the province, helping to create child-focused treatment centers across Ontario.”

CHEO president and CEO Dr. Vera Etches says the project will revolutionize the way youth health care is delivered in the capital.

“Instead of having to have a line up for mental health, a line up for autism, a line up for neurodevelopmental services, the families are going to come in, have a great understanding conversation about what are their needs, and then bring the services around them all in the same building,” she said.

Etches said the project has been nearly 15 years in the making. Former president and CEO Alex Munter was also on hand for the ceremony Thursday morning.

“This is just so exciting. I spent all my years at CHEO, working to get the plans together, get the funding together,” he said. “Just to see the construction equipment, it just lifts my spirits.”

Construction of the new facility is funded by the Ontario government and CHEO. It will be built by EllisDon Infrastructure OCH Inc., with completion expected in 2028.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Peter Szperling