Heart Institute Inaugurates State-of-The-Art Building Expansion

OTTAWA, March 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At an Official Inauguration Ceremony held today at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Dr. Thierry Mesana, President and CEO, joined Yasir Naqvi, Ontario's Attorney General and MPP for Ottawa Centre, Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Infrastructure and MPP for Ottawa West-Nepean, Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and MP for Ottawa Centre, and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson to celebrate the grand inauguration of the Heart Institute's brand new expansion dedicated to advanced cardiovascular care ? the most sophisticated and technologically advanced in Canada.

The event marks the end of a multi-year project to expand and improve the Heart Institute's facilities to meet the growing demands of an aging and changing patient population. With increased capacities, the new building ensures residents of the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) and beyond continue to have access to high-quality specialized cardiac services when they need them. 

The Heart Institute will now also make use of some of the most innovative technological advancements in modern medicine including the acquisition of the da Vinci® Surgical System, which facilitates complex surgical procedures that are both minimally invasive for the patient and require far less recovery periods. Life-saving suites will also be equipped with Azurion Image Guided Therapy equipment, the largest installation of its kind in the world, allowing clinical teams to confidently perform a wide routine of complex procedures.    

"This is the most significant expansion in the history of the Heart Institute," said Dr. Thierry Mesana. "Our new facility will not only reinforce our cardiovascular care, research, and training capacities, but it will also ensure our patients continue to receive world-class care, from an extraordinary team evolving in a state-of-the-art environment. This is our promise." 

"Our community's heart built this building and the heart of this building is our people and their dedication to the hearts in this community," said Paul LaBarge, Chair of the Heart Institute's Board of Directors.

The Heart Institute's new critical care facility features:

• more than 145,000 sq. ft. of added space;
• five operating rooms, including one hybrid OR, and one shelled-in operating room for future use;
• nine catheterization and electrophysiology laboratories; and
• an additional surgical critical care unit for 27 beds.

With today's inauguration, and the transfer of patients and teams scheduled for the upcoming Easter-long weekend, the Heart Institute is now ready to move forward with the next phases of redevelopment work at its original facility, including:

• the renovation of approximately 59,000 sq. ft. of space;
• the relocation and expansion of the Cardiac Imaging Department, the Prevention and Wellness Office, and the Canadian Women's Heart Health Centre; and
• the redesign and renovation of the original building's main lobby.

Quotes:

• "The expansion of the Ottawa Heart Institute is so much more than bricks and mortar. It is about building a province where together, we care. With the pressures people are facing today, government has to step up and make sure everyone in the Ottawa area can access the best care. That's what our plan is doing. We are putting care first and we always will." ? The Hon. Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario.
  
  
• "Providing care closer to home is crucial for people suffering from heart disease. By redeveloping the University of Ottawa Heart Institute with new, state-of-the-art facilities, we will ensure patients receive the best possible care from this world leader in cardiac care." ? The Hon. Dr. Helena Jaczek, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.
  
  
• "Ottawa is fortunate to be home to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI), whose world-class cardiac care has touched the lives of families across our community, and eastern Ontario. Building on their record of exceptional patient satisfaction, this expansion will bring the facility into the 21^st century to continue the UOHI's tradition of innovation, discovery and research while delivering unparalleled cardiac care to a growing and changing patient population. This investment of over $200 million by the Government of Ontario will allow the Heart Institute to greatly increase capacity and further accommodate the rapidly changing technologies required to care for an aging patient base with increasingly complex medical needs." ? The Hon. Yasir Naqvi, Ontario's Attorney General and MPP for Ottawa Centre.
  
  
• "We know that building Ontario up means building better lives for the people of Ontario, and the Ottawa Heart Institute is a perfect example of that. This expansion and the next phase of redevelopment help us respond to the challenges of an aging population and ensures we will be able to continue to put patients first and provide them the high-caliber care they deserve." ? The Hon. Bob Chiarelli, Ontario Minister of Infrastructure, MPP for Ottawa West ? Nepean.
  
  
• "Research done today leads to better healthcare tomorrow. The opening of the new Ottawa Heart Institute Critical Care tower in Ottawa Centre will allow the world-class team of researchers, physicians, nurses, and support staff to continue to provide the best care for patients and their families while advancing important research on cardiovascular health." ? The Hon. Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre.
   
• "The City of Ottawa is fortunate to be home to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and to its new Critical Care Tower. This new state-of-the-art health facility will be instrumental in providing the highest quality health care to patients from Ottawa and across the country." ? His Worship, Jim Watson, Mayor, City of Ottawa.

About the University of Ottawa Heart Institute

The University of Ottawa Heart Institute has flourished into one of Canada's most distinguished heart health centres for the unparalleled care it provides to its patients, a world-renowned research Institute that brings science from bench to bedside, and the country's main influencer when it comes to preventing heart disease. Its promise remains the very pillar on which it was built: Always putting patients first.

MEDIA CONTACT

Leigh B. Morris
Communications Specialist
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
613-696-7000 x 19051
[email protected]