Last week marked a moment of hope and optimism at CHEO. The Honourable Michael Parsa, Minister of Children, Community, and Social Services, joined EllisDon, CHEO representatives, and Infrastructure Ontario marked the start of construction on the new Integrated Treatment Centre (ITC), a state-of-the-art, six-storey, 234,000 square foot, healthcare facility.

CHEO is a global leader in complex paediatric care, research, and education and this ITC project is set to be a new addition to CHEO’s main campus, consolidating services and programs currently spread across eight locations throughout Ottawa into one modern facility. This, in turn, will reduce the number of visits required by patients and their families, improve patient and family comfort, and increase CHEO’s care capacity.

“Breaking ground on the ITC represents a major milestone in delivering specialized healthcare to children and youth living with complex medical, developmental, behavioural, and mental health needs,” said Mike Armstrong, Vice President & Area Manager, Ottawa, EllisDon. “It represents a step towards holistic care for some of our most vulnerable, and EllisDon is honoured to partner with Infrastructure Ontario and CHEO to build a facility the community can be proud of for years to come.”

CHEO’s ITC is slated to be home to expanded mental health clinics, educational and therapeutic indoor and outdoor spaces, specialized areas for children and youth with complex emotional needs, treatment rooms, virtual care technology, and family support and community spaces. The building has been designed to be accessible, with deliberate attention to creating bariatric-friendly spaces and thoughtful wayfinding strategies that further enhance the patient experience, removing another obstacle to their care.

What started with a few shovels of dirt being ceremoniously tossed will soon grow to a modern, purpose-built facility suited to support CHEO’s medical experts in delivering the best possible care to children facing a variety of complex medical and mental health conditions. This represents the renewed commitment of EllisDon and our partners to enhancing healthcare infrastructure, specifically for children and youth and paving the way towards a brighter and healthier future.