Health Care Is Not Bricks And Mortar BUT...

...here is another case of those who kiss ass are rewarded with "fancy offices," in an era where tweeting is becoming a popular form of communication so I don't see why administration need fancy offices and once again those who wipe ass get little consideration. Of course we shouldn't be surprised when we see who is ramrodding this project; "Let Them Wear Adult Diaper Smithermon."

$1.4B 'Taj Ma-Hospital'

And taxpayers are paying for 90% of Bridgepoint Health reno

By ANTONELLA ARTUSO, QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU CHIEF

Ontario taxpayers are paying the lion's share of a $1.4-billion plan to rebuild and maintain a Toronto hospital, including renovating the historic Don Jail building into stunning new office space for administrators.

The deal is being funded through Infrastructure Ontario, a public agency overseen by Public Infrastructure Minister George Smitherman, who as a former health minister used to complain about tax dollars being spent on "Taj Ma-Hospitals."

"We don't have extra money to throw around for grandiose design," Smitherman said in 2004. "I've travelled to a lot of hospitals and I see a lot of atriums ... It's my feeling that ... we've, in the course of the last decade or two, allowed hospitals to be overbuilt."

The redevelopment plans for Bridgepoint Health call for a 10-storey, 472-bed building, replacing the existing hospital near Gerrard St. and Broadview Ave., which serves patients with complex chronic disease.

In addition, an "elevated, glazed bridge" will connect the new hospital to the historic Don Jail, which will be renovated into administrative office space and feature a gorgeous restored rotunda.

Relocating the administrative offices out of the main hospital frees up space for patient care, said Amy Tang, a spokesman for Smitherman.

The hospital is being financed through a public-private partnership, and the total cost includes construction and maintenance.

The tally is $1.27 billion over 30 years -- described as the equivalent of $622 million in today's dollars -- and the taxpayer will pick up roughly 90%.

Bridgepoint is covering the additional cost of replacement furniture, equipment and information technology and splitting the bill with the health ministry for architectural and engineering, and other related fees, for a total project cost of $1.4 billion.

The project will ensure the historic Don Jail is "preserved and repurposed," Bridgepoint Health said in a news release yesterday.

"The main entrance of the historic Don Jail building will be publicly accessible," the hospital's website says. "The rotunda will serve as an important focal point for hospital events, lectures and use by community groups. This building, once a place of incarceration, will become a leading centre of innovation, providing space for research and education."

The Don Jail redevelopment has been the subject of recent controversy after the building managers halted a series of planned tours and parties.

Chris MacKechnie, whose firm Slingshot Inc., had been contracted by the hospital to organize the events, said it's disappointing that few Torontonians will get a chance to see the amazing building before it's "gutted."

The historic rotunda will be available to the public during office hours, and the gallows and some representative jail cells will be kept in place, Bridgepoint said.

ANTONELLA.ARTUSO@SUNMEDIA.CA