CHF Summer 2023

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CONTENTS

EDITOR/RÉDACTRICE Clare Tattersall claret@mediaedge.ca

PUBLISHER/ÉDITEUR Jason Krulicki jasonk@mediaedge.ca

PRESIDENT/PRÉSIDENT Kevin Brown kevinb@mediaedge.ca

SENIOR DESIGNER/ Annette Carlucci CONCEPTEUR annettec@mediaedge.ca GRAPHIQUE SENIOR

GRAPHIC DESIGNER/ Thuy Huynh GRAPHISTE roxyh@mediaedge.ca

PRODUCTION Ines Louis COORDINATOR/ inesl@mediaedge.ca COORDINATEUR DE DE PRODUCTION

CIRCULATION MANAGER/ Adrian Hollard DIRECTEUR DE LA circulation@mediaedge.ca DIFFUSION

DEPARTMENTS

6 Editor’s Note

8 President’s Message

10 Chapter Reports

FEATURE SERIES

16 An Electrifying Opportunity Une opportunité électrisante

20 A Carefully Choreographed Build Redevelopment of Burnaby Hospital to replace aging infrastructure, add new services in two phases

22 Building More than Hospitals

Build Nova Scotia’s EDI program ensures construction worksites reflect Cape Breton’s diverse communities

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

28 A Vision for the Future

How smart healthcare technology can help improve operational results, patient outcomes

30 Under Observation

Using ActiveIAQ, remote sensors to monitor continued health of buildings

SECURITY & LIFE SAFETY

34 A Unified Approach to Security

Improving patient, staff experiences from the front door to the bedside

37 Monitoring the Experience

Using surveillance technology, equipment beyond traditional security

CANADIAN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES IS PUBLISHED BY UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF THE CANADIAN HEALTHCARE ENGINEERING SOCIETY. SCISS JOURNAL TRIMESTRIEL PUBLIE PAR SOUS LE PATRONAGE DE LA SOCIETE CANADIENNE D'INGENIERIE DES SERVICES DE SANTE.

CHES SCISS

PRESIDENT Craig B. Doerksen

VICE-PRESIDENT Jim McArthur

PAST PRESIDENT Roger Holliss

TREASURER Reynold J. Peters

SECRETARY Beth Hall

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Tanya Hutchison

CHAPTER CHAIRS

Newfoundland & Labrador: Colin Marsh

Maritime: Robert Barss

Ontario: John Marshman

Quebec: Mohamed Merheb

Manitoba: Reynold J. Peters

Saskatchewan: Melodie Young

Alberta: James Prince

British Columbia: Sarah Thorn

FOUNDING MEMBERS

H. Callan, G.S. Corbeil, J. Cyr, S.T. Morawski

CHES

4 Cataraqui St., Suite 310, Kingston, Ont. K7K 1Z7 Telephone: (613) 531-2661 Fax: (866) 303-0626

E-mail: info@ches.org www.ches.org

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ISSN # 1486-2530

Reproduction or adoption of articles appearing in Canadian Healthcare Facilities is authorized subject to acknowledgement of the source. Opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Canadian Healthcare Engineering Society. For information or permission to quote, reprint or translate articles contained in this publication, please write or contact the editor.

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Peter LaForme, Executive Vice President

Andre Lebedev, P.Eng., Director of Electrical Engineering

Robert Borovina, P.Eng., Director of Mechanical Engineering

BUILDING FOR A BETTER FUTURE

EVERY TIME I review CHES’s e-mail newsletter, there’s at least one story about a hospital development that’s just been announced, has shovels in the ground, is nearing completion or has officially celebrated its grand opening. Ideally, we’d cover each and every project in the society’s quarterly journal; however, there are so many these days that it’s an impossible feat. Instead, a select few are chosen and highlighted in each issue. Those in the pages of this edition are part of the feature series, which builds on the theme of this year’s CHES National conference, Rejuvenating Healthcare Infrastructure. They include the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment, as seen on the cover, and replacement of Victoria General Hospital’s electrical distribution equipment with a new, remotely located electrical energy centre. Rounding out the feature series, we look at Build Nova Scotia’s equity, diversity and inclusion program. While not a project per se, this initiative was launched to ensure a minimum of 10 per cent of workers on healthcare construction sites in Cape Breton Regional Municipality represent the region’s diverse groups and communities.

Outside the feature series, the primary focuses of this issue are innovation and technology and security and life safety. In the first section, A Vision for the Future delves into how smart healthcare technology can help improve operational results and patient outcomes, while Under Observation looks at the benefits of using wireless, real-time indoor air quality monitoring in a case study. Next, A Unified Approach to Security explores ways in which the advent of open, unified physical security solutions are helping healthcare facilities create a secure, positive experience for patients and staff as challenges and requirements continue to evolve. To close, Monitoring the Experience addresses how surveillance technology and equipment can be used beyond traditional security.

If interested in seeing a specific healthcare project featured or you’d like to contribute an article to the publication, please contact me.

Clare Tattersall claret@mediaedge.ca

Mould Prevention is a Priority in Healthcare

Protecting critical healthcare facilities against water damage

In a healthcare setting, the importance of preventing the growth and proliferation of mould takes on new dimensions.

“The moment you see mould in a hospital or healthcare facility is the second you want to do something about it,” says Brendan Murphy with First Onsite Property Restoration. “Mould can cause a wide range of health issues, which can pose severe risks to patients already dealing with immune deficiencies or respiratory issues.”

For some patients, exposure to mould spores can result in coughing, congestion, fevers, or headaches. For others, it can lead to severe respiratory conditions that can be fatal if left unaddressed, particularly in older or more vulnerable demographics. The challenge in preventing these risks within healthcare settings, however, is that mould can enter a hospital or medical facility through a number of means and remain undetected for long periods.

“There are plenty of ways mould starts growing within a hospital, and after it takes root, mould only needs 24 to 48 hours to grow and 1 to 12 days to start colonizing,” Murphy adds.

A LATENT RISK

Healthcare environments can be an ideal home for mould. Consider that mould feeds on wet cellulose materials and thrives in humid environments. This can include hospital laundry rooms, kitchens, patient showers, bathrooms, and areas where water has been left to collect, such as behind walls, under flooring, or within the ductwork. Even something as simple as a patient forgetting to turn off a tap in their room or water seepage into wall or floor cracks during routine cleaning is all it takes to establish the conditions in which mould begins to form.

Mould is also a common concern after an emergency (e.g., leak, flood, extreme storm) or construction project (e.g., renovation, expansion, etc.) where water can slip through deficiencies in the building envelope and/or ventilation systems fail.

Even the best HVAC equipment and hospital facility designs can fail to keep mould from forming. The sooner these issues are spotted the better, which is why all healthcare facility stakeholders are encouraged to keep an eye out for “tell-tale” signs of mould, which include (but are not limited to) black spots or other forms of mildew on walls, swollen floorboards/walls, musty smells, water stains, and persistent health impacts (e.g., coughing, fever, etc.).

RAISING THE DEFENCES

There are solutions to help prevent mould in a healthcare environment. Beyond addressing areas with high humidity and poor ventilation, other proactive measures can be taken. Mould

identification and remediation plans should kick in once a leak or water-related incident is discovered. Using leak detection technology to get immediate alerts can ensure proper safeguards are in place to manage the risks.

Removing mould is more complex than simply wiping it from view. There are specific guidelines for mould removal in a healthcare environment pertaining to how the potential health risks are evaluated, where patients should be moved, and what constitutes successful remediation. For example, air quality testing must occur before, during, and after removal to verify the problem has been properly remediated.

“With mould issues, the facility can choose to handle the issue internally but it is best to seek out a restoration partner like ourselves who can tackle the problem using everything in our toolkit,” says Murphy . “Either way, it’s important to have an emergency response plan that you can follow to remove that risk for hospital staff, patients, and guests.”

Mould is a priority risk in healthcare environments. With diligence, planning, and the right partners, it can be kept at bay.

Brendan Murphy is Vice President, National Accounts at First Onsite Property Restoration. Learn more at www.firstonsite.ca

FAMILY REUNIONS AND REJUVENATION

THIS PAST SPRING was an incredibly rich (and busy) season with five chapter conferences. I attended four (Maritimes in Moncton, N.B., Newfoundland and Labrador in St. John’s, B.C. in Penticton, and Ontario in Windsor). Due to a work conflict, Roger Holliss as immediate past president attended the Alberta conference in Red Deer. The Quebec chapter also hosted an evening dinner event, which was well-attended.

Throughout these conferences, I was impacted by two themes. The first was further reinforced when one vendor/sponsor spoke with excitement about the ‘family reunion’ he and his colleagues had just attended. Yes, the CHES conference was that family reunion.

The first theme: Our members are family. We learn from each other, support each other and definitely enjoy each other’s company. Catching up, talking shop and conversing about our personal lives occurred before and after sessions, at meals and breaks, and in transit in taxis, at airports and on trains.

Second, our vendors and sponsors support us because they realize the value of CHES for their firm and see it in the members who attend. I’ll say it like this, CHES members are the knowledgeable ones in healthcare and vendors want to connect with those in the know.

Looking ahead, I can’t wait to welcome you to Winnipeg for the 2023 CHES National Conference. CHES held its first-ever conference in Winnipeg in 1981, and returned in 1991 and 2011. I have joked that this year’s theme, Rejuvenating Healthcare Infrastructure, was borne out of the failure of the 2011 theme, Sustaining Healthcare Infrastructure, from taking hold. That joke is borne out of the truth that without adequate capital funding and proper operational resources, sustainment fails and a rejuvenation of infrastructure is required.

According to HealthCareCAN, Canada has fallen behind the 37 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries in total healthcare capital investment (average 0.6 per cent of GDP) and is only investing 0.5 per cent of GDP. While 0.1 per cent difference may not seem like much, it represents a shortfall of more than $1.7 billion. Meanwhile, Canada outspends the OECD by an average of 22 per cent, spending a near chart-topping 10.8 per cent of GDP on healthcare. This while Canada has the highest bed occupancy rate at 91.6 per cent, versus the 76.2 per cent average. It should not come as a surprise given Canada has only 2.5 beds per 1,000 people — almost half of the OECD average of 4.4 beds. So, while capital investment in Canadian healthcare has trended higher over the past year, much more investment is required to rejuvenate the sector’s infrastructure.

The upcoming CHES National conference will give us the opportunity to discuss not just how to rejuvenate our facilities but ourselves, too. Come and build your expertise with the CHES family this September.

Craig B. Doerksen CHES National president

EARN CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS FROM CHES

Members

of the Canadian Healthcare Engineering Society can earn free continuing education units (CEU) by reading the Summer 2023 issue of Canadian Healthcare Facilities and passing a quiz based on articles in the issue. Once you’ve read the issue from cover to cover, simply go online to www.surveymonkey.com/r/LSPFTLK to take the quiz. CHES members who pass the quiz will be able to claim one contact hour (0.1 CEU) on their CanHCC or CCHFM certificate renewals.

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SASKATCHEWAN CHAPTER

The Saskatchewan chapter is actively coordinating our fall conference, which will be held at TCU Place in Saskatoon, Sept. 10-12. The theme is Challenges of Integrating New Technology in Existing Facilities.

The chapter executive has identified members to sit on CHES National committees. We are excited to have Saskatchewan representation on these committees, and look forward to the learning opportunities and knowledge that will come from being a part of these important teams.

On the membership front, we continue to focus on increasing the number of Saskatchewan chapter members by promoting the benefits of CHES.

MARITIME CHAPTER

The Maritime chapter conference, held at the Delta Beausejour in Moncton, N.B., April 30-May 2, was a success. CHES National president Craig Doerksen and vice-president Jim McArthur attended, as well as Ontario chapter member Sandra Smith. There were 88 member delegates, up approximately 20 from our last face-to-face conference in 2019. Keynote speaker Greg Kettner provided a great opening to our program and the educational sessions were excellent. The trade show had 32 booths and was well-received by delegates and exhibitors. Although there was great support from exhibitors and sponsors, there has been a huge increase in costs and, resultantly, the conference did not add much in the way of revenue. Delegates expect a first-class event and that comes at a price. Cuts could have been made to the food offered but delegate comments confirmed our decision to provide an enhanced meal experience. Feedback from delegates also indicated the conference was well worth their time and the expense.

Planning continues for the 2024 CHES National Conference in Halifax. Much has already been done. Confirmations will be completed this year. We encourage members from across Canada to join us in roughly a year’s time, Sept. 8-10, for some good ol’ homegrown Maritime hospitality and an exceptional conference program.

The Maritime chapter hosted the Canadian Healthcare Construction Course May 30-31, in Halifax, at the Prince George Hotel. There were 50 attendees — the most for a Maritime-hosted session.

This year’s $1,000 Per Paacshe bursary was awarded to Willow Somerville. Willow will be attending Acadia University in Nova Scotia, where she will pursue a bachelor of arts in psychology. She aspires to work with children coping with mental disabilities. Willow is the granddaughter of CHES Maritime member Gordon Burrill.

The chapter continues to offer several financial incentives to members in the way of student bursaries, contribution to Canadian Certified Healthcare Facility Manager exam fees, and covering the cost of webinars and the fall education day, among other benefits.

—Robert Barss, Maritime chapter chair

ONTARIO CHAPTER

The CHES Ontario family congregated at Caesars in Windsor, June 4-6, where we held our first in-person conference in four years.

From Meg Soper’s engaging keynote to the gala banquet featuring homegrown talent, delegates, vendors and esteemed guests engaged around the theme, Engineering Sustainability and Resilience in Healthcare Facilities. The sense of connection was palpable to all in attendance as was the exchange of member expertise. It was heartening to have so many first-time conference-goers and a pleasure to congratulate recipients of the Rick Anderson Family Bursary in person. A big thanks to the planning committee and, in particular, Ron Durocher for executing a successful and truly enjoyable event. I’m excited not to wait another four years for our next chapter conference, planned for 2024 in Collingwood.

The chapter executive continues to meet quarterly via virtual means. We’re focused on membership development and member benefits, including bursaries, the Young Professionals Grant and, of course, education offerings. Building on growth in membership over the past year, we are engaging in analytics work to better understand membership complexion and identify opportunities for further development. We are also engaged in long-range financial planning to continue to optimize member benefits with the resilience that served us well through the COVID pandemic.

CHES Ontario continues to engage in networking and advocacy opportunities. Chapter executives attended the ASHE Region 6 conference in Rochester, Minn., and the ASHE PDC summit in Phoenix, in March, as well as many of our peer chapter conferences in spring. Thank you to our ASHE partners and host chapters for accommodating our participation.

MANITOBA CHAPTER

With the 2023 CHES National Conference to take place in Winnipeg, Sept. 17-19, the Manitoba chapter continues to work with the CHES National conference planning committee in preparation for the annual event. Registration is now open. The early bird deadline is July 31. Sponsorships and trade show booth bookings are proceeding as expected. We anticipate the trade show to be sold out. A huge thanks to Events & Management Plus in working with the conference planning committee to keep us moving forward.

The next Canadian Healthcare Construction Course session will take place directly following the CHES National conference. It will be held Sept. 20-21, at the offices of the Winnipeg Construction Association.

2023 is an election year for the Manitoba chapter. Nominations are open for secretary, treasurer and vice-chair positions.

A call for nominations has been made for the Manitoba chapter awards in the categories of project management and facility management. The awards will be presented at the Manitoba chapter’s annual general meeting at this year’s CHES National conference

—Reynold J. Peters, Manitoba chapter chair

—Melodie Young, Saskatchewan chapter chair

—John Marshman, Ontario chapter chair

BRITISH COLUMBIA CHAPTER

It was a busy spring for the CHES B.C. executive as we were planning our chapter conference in Penticton, May 28-30. Conference planning was led by Mitch Weimer. The theme, Healthcare Facilities: Managing through Crises, provided an opportunity to discuss many relevant topics, including succession planning, lack of qualified personnel, climate change, extreme weather, and updating infrastructures and systems. The call for abstracts was successful, with more than 30 submissions. The trade show was sold out, as were sponsorships. We added sponsorship opportunities for those who were interested. Highlights included presentation of this year’s CHES B.C. Healthcare Award to Tim Kelly, and recognition of 16 members for their longstanding achievement. We also had the pleasure of hosting CHES National president Craig Doerksen and vice-president Jim McArthur. The planning team used the Yapp app to promote the event, which was a huge success with more than 600 in attendance.

The B.C. chapter continues to find new ways to encourage membership for those who have not joined. We are also reaching out to those who have not renewed. This year, we offered a combo package for membership and conference registration, which helped bring in new members. Membership executive director Arthur Buse has reported that membership has increased, with a total of 365 members.

CHES B.C. will host the Canadian Healthcare Construction Course (CanHCC) Nov. 2-3. Steve McEwan and Norbert Fischer have volunteered to work with the faculty to ensure a successful event.

Chapter executives and members are actively working on many committees, including partnership and advocacy, mem bership, social and the CanHCC, as well as those that support CSA Group.

The chapter has just released an expression of interest for additional volunteers as we work toward succession planning. We look forward to expanding our team and bringing on new people.

I’d like to remind members of the educational opportunities available to them, including the bursary program and CHES webinar series.

NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR CHAPTER

There has been no change to our executive team. However, we have seen some changes to CHES National committee representatives. Bill Squires has resigned as our liaison to the membership committee. He has been replaced by Kimberley Pike. Brian Kinden now sits on the partnership and advocacy committee.

During and after the COVID pandemic, we have seen membership decline. Between tough fiscal times in the province and the amalgamation of four health authorities into one, there is uncertainty, which has prevented people from renewing their membership. We are pushing recruitment on vendors/suppliers, consultants and other healthcare dependents to improve membership enrolment.

The chapter is sitting in a solid financial position. We are looking at creative ways of spending a portion of our monies on the continual education of our members, either through sponsorships to conferences and/or education reimbursements.

Our spring professional development day saw the largest turnout in the history of the chapter. We have outgrown the venue and could possibly turn the conference into a two-day event. Our vendor booth/displays have more than tripled and, unfortunately, we had to turn some vendors away. A big thank you to our vendors and sponsors for making this year’s event a huge success. I’d also like to thank CHES National president Craig Doerksen for attending.

I am looking forward to going to the 2023 CHES National Conference in Winnipeg, with two other executive team members.

SUBSCRI B E TO OUR E-NEWSLETTER

—Colin Marsh, Newfoundland & Labrador chapter chair

The 2023 CHES National Conference will be held in Winnipeg, Sept. 17-19.

CHAPTER REPORTS

ALBERTA CHAPTER

The Alberta chapter held its annual Clarence White conference June 12-13, followed by two days of the Canadian Healthcare Construction Course. Turnout was impressive despite having reduced venue space. More than 170 delegates attended (98 new memberships sold) and there were 60 exhibitor booths with 150 vendors representing various healthcare organizations, engineering firms and related industry professions. The diverse range of participants contributed to a rich exchange of ideas, fostered collaborative efforts and expanded professional connections. The thoughtfully curated education program was comprised of keynote speeches, panel discussions and presentations led by esteemed experts in healthcare engineering. Attendees were exposed to cutting-edge research, emerging trends and innovative solutions in the field. The sessions provided practical insights that can be applied to enhance operational efficiency, improve patient care and address the evolving challenges of healthcare infrastructure. The conference received generous support from sponsors and exhibitors whose contributions greatly enhanced the overall experience for attendees. Sponsorship helped fund keynote speakers, venue arrangements, promotional materials and other logistics. The exhibitors provided an opportunity for delegates to explore and engage with the latest technologies, products and services relevant to healthcare engineering. The conference created an excellent platform for networking, fostering connections among professionals and facilitating knowledge exchange. Attendees had ample opportunities to interact with industry leaders, experts and peers through formal presentations, social events and dedicated networking breaks. This resulted in valuable collaborations, sharing of best practices and potential partnerships for future initiatives. Initial feedback gleaned from surveys has been overwhelmingly positive. Participants praised the event’s organization, content quality and relevance of topics covered, as well as the pre-event round of golf for 40 people. The conference was also commended for its ability to address current challenges and provide actionable insights. Its success should serve as a catalyst for CHES Alberta’s future endeavors. The positive outcomes demonstrate the chapter’s commitment to advancing healthcare engineering in the region and highlight the value it brings to its members and the broader healthcare community. I would like to express my gratitude to the dedicated conference planning committee, executive members, volunteers, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors and all those involved in making the event a resounding success. Your contributions and tireless efforts were instrumental in achieving the desired outcomes.

The Alberta chapter held its annual general meeting during the conference. New executive members were announced: Dave Attwood (vice-chair), Sarah Ahmed (treasurer) and Paul Perschon (secretary). Ideas were also presented, volunteers stepped forward to offer to help with next year’s conference and there was great interest in the promotion of the women in CHES initiative.

—James Prince, Alberta

chapter chair

QUEBEC CHAPTER

The Quebec chapter has added one new executive to the team to oversee the membership committee. The chapter is looking to add another executive to take part in the partnership and advocacy national committee.

On the topic of membership, our goal is to reach 100 members by 2024/2025.

With the advent of COVID-19, most education opportunities moved online (offered through webinars). After several years, we finally hosted our first in-person event — a special dinner conference held June 20. The topic of discussion was the recovery of anesthetic gases in healthcare facilities. Approximately 35 people attended. Other programmed in-person events will take place in September and November.

In order to learn from other chapters, I attended the Ontario chapter conference in Windsor. It was great to learn from the people who organized the event and to see so many people involved in CHES from all levels in healthcare.

The Quebec chapter is currently working to build a communication platform using social media like LinkedIn. With that in mind, do not forget to follow us and share with your counterparts.

CHAPITRE DU QUEBEC

Récemment le chapitre a ajouté une nouvelle personne à l’exécutif pour s'occuper du comité d'adhésion. Le chapitre est également en train d'ajouter une autre personne pour nous aider à participer au diffèrent comités nationals.

Cela dit, nous nous sommes fixé comme objectif d'atteindre 100 membres d'ici 2024/2025.

Depuis le COVID-19, la plupart des activités se sont déroulées en ligne via différents webinaires. Cependant, nous avons organisé notre premier événement en présentiel avec un dîner conférence le 20 juin. Un sujet unique a été choisi en lien avec la prise en charge de la récupération des gaz anesthésiques dans les établissements de santé. Environ 35 personnes étaient présentes. D'autres événements programmés auront également lieu tout au long de l'année en septembre et novembre.

Afin d'apprendre des autres, j'ai assisté à la conférence du chapitre de l'Ontario à Windsor. Ce fut une révélation d'apprendre des gens qui ont organisé l'événement. Ce fut définitivement un succès et je suis heureux de voir que les gens sont vraiment impliqués à tous les niveaux dans le réseau de la santé.

Le chapitre essaie également de construire une plate-forme de communication en utilisant les médias sociaux tels que LinkedIn. Dans cet esprit, n'oubliez pas de nous suivre et de partager avec vos homologues.

—Mohamed Merheb, chef du conseil d’administration du Québec

—Mohamed Merheb, Quebec chapter chair

GET THERE ON TIME:

IMPLEMENTING MULTILINGUAL DIGITAL WAYFINDING REDUCES LATE OR MISSED APPOINTMENTS

Whether it is for an annual appointment or an emergency, the average hospital patient feels a surge in anxiety as their visit approaches. There are many uncertainties, such as the cost of parking, how they will find their appointment location, and how long they will have to wait.

Especially in larger hospitals, navigational problems are a common complaint. Hygiene requirements mean furnishings and decor are kept to a minimum, and a labyrinth of corridors becomes a maze past stainless steel elevator banks. Everything looks the same.

Getting lost can be catastrophic. Studies have shown that arriving late or missing an appointment imposes huge costs on the system. Newcomers to Canada have the added barrier of language difficulty, and while most newly constructed hospitals incorporate digital signage into their construction budget, existing infrastructure is often left behind.

OLDER HOSPITALS IN NEED OF FUNDING

As hospitals age, most will build additional wings and units to accommodate the changing needs of their community. Scarborough, Ontario, has three publicly funded hospitals that were built in 1985, 1967, and 1956. However, there have been no recent major infrastructure

upgrades in any of them. The operating room at Centenary Hospital is one of the oldest in the province and has not seen an upgrade since being built in 1967.

According to the Love, Scarborough campaign launched by Scarborough Health Network (SHN) in 2022, ‘Scarborough’s population is made up of 73% visible minorities when compared to Toronto at 51%.’

Despite representing 25% of Toronto’s population, Scarborough receives just 1% of hospital donations.

Scot Martin, President & CEO of youRhere, believes that upgrading navigational services within older hospitals would significantly improve the patient/visitor experience. “We need investment in these older hospitals facilities even more than the new ones,” he explains.

As the campaign asks, “Is it fair that the newest to Canada are forced to go to the oldest hospitals with aging infrastructure?”

DIGITAL SIGNAGE BREAKS THE LANGUAGE DIVIDE

With language barriers particularly evident in hospitals with minority populations, digital information hubs offer a multilingual beacon of light for those trying to find their way, and can visually modernize older, drab buildings. Screens have the advantage of constant availability and

provide an alternative to staffed help desks which are often closed during overnight hours or overwhelmed during peak periods.

“We have new Canadians visiting the hospitals where all the signs are in English, and they don’t know where to go. It can be stressful,” advises Martin. “Clientele to hospitals will also include people with various disabilities—whether they are in wheelchairs or have visual impairment—which makes a stressful hospital visit more difficult.”

In the basement levels of a hospital where internet reception can be poor, wireless cellular modems are used to ensure connectivity. “There really isn’t any place in a hospital that we can’t get a signal to,” Martin asserts.

The most common locations for signage are, of course, in the main entrance lobbies, and many hospitals test the success-rate of digital information hubs in these areas. “That at least gets people pointed in the right direction,” he notes. “Later on, the facility will come back and put some on the upper levels.”

Martin expresses that modern digital signage is more affordable than many people think.

“Some people have an inflated view of what it really costs, so instead they’ll add an extra person to the help desk, which over the course of a year costs a lot more,” he says. “There are different financing options available. For a hospital which has room in their operating budget but a limited capital budget, the leasing option is something to consider,” he explains.

Purchasing multiple hubs amortizes the cost, and updates to information can be added without the need to purchase and install additional physical signage.

The digital information hubs take up little space; they can be affixed to walls, embedded

in existing help desks, or be standalone units on pylons where the user interface can be lowered to accommodate the mobility impaired. A key feature is the multiple language options featured prominently on the screens. “For someone whose first language isn’t English, they may feel more comfortable approaching a screen,” explains Martin.

QR CODE MAKES FOR EASY TRAVEL

Importantly, the screens offer a QR code specific to the area requested, which allows

users to scan the information on their personal cell phones, allowing them to take the information with them as they begin travelling to their destination. A visual representation of their journey is more helpful than following relayed instructions, he remarks.

“Someone comes in and they get instructions, but halfway through they forget where they are going. With screens, up will come a map with a QR code. You scan your smart phone and take those directions with you.”

Information from a hospital’s website can be integrated with the screen’s mapping system, and all directions are orientated based on the location of the user making them easy to follow.

Whether you are a patient, a health worker, or a visitor, being able to access information quickly—no matter your first language—is key. For older infrastructure with a limited budget, upgrading wayfinding systems can modernize the navigational needs of patients and visitors and reduce the number of tardy or missed appointments.

Digital information hubs make it easier to get to the destination, to navigate the numerous wards and wings, and to get patients to their appointments on time.

Scot Martin is the CEO of youRhere, a leading provider of digital signage solutions for commercial, retail, healthcare, and educational properties across Canada. To find out how digital signage can help your hospital, visit www.youRhere.ca

AN ELECTIFYING

OPPORTUNITY

Une opportunité électrisante

By/Par Lisanne Naeth

Located on the south end of Vancouver Island, Victoria General Hospital (VGH) is a 347-bed acute care facility. The 1981-constructed facility is comprised of a main diagnostic and treatment (D&T) podium and two seven-storey patient towers. Over the years, the facility has been expanded and renovated and includes a new emergency department.

The hospital is supplied from utility at 25 kilovolts (kV) via an underground feeder into the main electrical room located on Level 1. Much of the original main electrical distribution is still in service. While meticulously maintained, including some breaker upgrades, the equipment is 40 years old and has reached the end of its expected service life.

Examination of the essential power distribution revealed the two 600-kilowatt, 600-volt generators no longer provide N+1 redundancy. (Both generators are required to meet the demand of the vital and delayed vital branches.) This is a result of the on-going

L’hôpital général de Victoria (HGV), trônant à la pointe sud de l’île de Vancouver, offre 347 lits pour des soins intensifs. Depuis sa construction en 1981, l’établissement s’est développé en intégrant un pavillon principal dédié au diagnostic et au traitement (D et T) ainsi que deux tours de sept étages vouées aux patients. Au gré des années, des extensions et rénovations ont permis de construire un service d’urgence flambant neuf.

Le service public de BC Hydro alimente l’hôpital avec une puissance de 25 kilovolts (kV), acheminée par une ligne souterraine jusqu’à la salle électrique principale au premier étage. Une large part du dispositif de distribution électrique initial reste en fonction. Malgré un entretien méticuleux, comprenant des mises à niveau des disjoncteurs, cet équipement quadragénaire touche au terme de sa durée de vie estimée.

L’audit de la distribution électrique cruciale a révélé une faiblesse: les deux générateurs de 600 kilowatts et 600 volts ne garantissent

organic growth of essential power requirements in the facility. The limitation of available essential power poses a significant challenge for routine equipment refreshes, upgrades and renovations, as most new imaging modalities have a higher power demand than that of the equipment being replaced.

In addition to equipment age and capacity issues, there are two active capital regional district (CRD) trunk water mains — 1,220 millimetres (mm) and 1,067mm in diameter — routed across the site approximately 30 metres from the main electrical room. The site has a natural dip or low point near the main electrical room. If both water supply mains were to rupture due to a natural disaster or piping failure, this electrical room would flood to elevation nine metres in 4.5 hours because there is no automatic control function to shut down water flow.

Given the current state of the electrical distribution system is calamitous, Island Health has proactively engaged a consulting team to design the replacement of the existing electrical distribution equipment and address some of the facility resiliency risk with a new, remotely located electrical energy centre (EEC). The EEC will be located on an elevated greenfield away from existing structures to mitigate risks, such as flood, fire and seismic concerns. The design of the new EEC includes capacity to support all existing and anticipated future power requirements at the VGH campus.

The EEC will house BC Hydro service entrance equipment, BC Hydro metering, transformation equipment, generator paralleling and synchronization controls, dual bypass transfer switches, and the vital, delayed vital, conditional and normal primary distribution switchboards. It will also contain all the relays and sensors required for protection, control and monitoring of this new system

plus la redondance N+1. (La demande du branchement vital et du branchement vital temporisé requiert la capacité de ces deux générateurs). Ce défi résulte de l’accroissement constant des besoins énergétiques de l’établissement. Cette restriction d’énergie disponible s’avère une entrave majeure aux renouvellements, modernisations et rénovations usuelles d’équipements. En effet, la plupart des nouvelles techniques d’imagerie nécessitent une puissance supérieure à celle des dispositifs qu’elles remplacent.

Outre les problèmes de vétusté et de capacité de l’équipement, le site voit traverser deux conduites principales d’eau du District régional de la capitale (DRC) — de 1 220 millimètres (mm) et de 1 067 mm de diamètre — à une trentaine de mètres de la salle électrique principale. Le terrain, dessinant une déclivité non loin de la salle, deviendrait problématique lors d’une rupture de ces deux conduits majeurs d’eau, qu’il s’agisse d’une catastrophe naturelle ou d’une défaillance de la tuyauterie. En effet, la salle électrique subirait une inondation atteignant une hauteur de 9 mètres en l’espace de 4,5 heures faute de mécanisme automatique de coupure de l’écoulement d’eau.

Face à la situation préoccupante du système de distribution électrique, Island Health a mobilisé une équipe de consultants pour concevoir la rénovation de l’équipement existant et pallier certains risques qui menacent la résilience du site, grâce à un centre d’énergie électrique (CEE) nouvellement construit à distance. Le CEE s’érigera sur une parcelle vierge et surélevée, à l’écart des bâtiments actuels, afin de diminuer les risques tels qu’inondations, incendies et séismes. Le nouveau CEE est conçu pour répondre à tous les besoins énergétiques présents et à venir du campus de l’HGV.

Le CEE abritera l’équipement de raccordement et les compteurs

New electrical energy centre (EEC) and generator yard. The EEC will be located on an elevated greenfield away from existing structures to mitigate risks, such as flood, fire and seismic concerns. Its design includes capacity to support all existing and anticipated future power requirements at the Victoria General Hospital campus. Rendering courtesy Stantec.

both locally and via remote operation from the D&T building’s control room. The new generators will be located in outdoor-rated walk-in enclosures adjacent to the EEC. The generator synchronization bus will be arranged with generator connections, feeder positions and additional positions for temporary generator, load bank and future generator connections.

Two utility selectable BC Hydro 25kV services will replace the single existing service. The dual redundant supply will allow the utility to supply the site from one of two separate substations as required for increased facility resiliency to upstream outages and eliminate a single point of failure. Two 3 megavolt amperes (MVA) transformers will be used to step down the 25kV BC Hydro supply to the 12.5kV distribution in a N+1 configuration. Provisions for replacing these transformers with 5MVA units have been included in the design for future site demand. Distribution from the EEC to the existing VGH facility and future buildings will be at 12.5kV.

The new EEC design includes 3MVA of generator capacity on day one to support the current site peak demand with N+1 redundancy. Allowances in space, equipment connection locations and conduits have been made for the installation of additional generators to support future load growth while maintaining N+1 redundancy. 12.5kV was selected for the generation and site distribution voltage to reduce voltage drop issues and ensure commercial availability of equipment.

12.5kV feeders and spare conduits will be routed underground from the EEC to the new purpose-built D&T electrical room located adjacent to the D&T building on Level 2, above the potential flood level. Three transformers will further step the power down to 600V for connection to the new D&T vital, delayed vital and conditional vital switchboards. These switchboards will reconnect to the existing D&T distribution temporarily. Reconnection of the D&T services has been designed to replace the 40-year-old

de BC Hydro, les transformateurs, les commandes d’alignement et de synchronisation des générateurs, les commutateurs de transfert à double dérivation et les panneaux de distribution primaire pour les branchements vitaux, temporisés, conditionnels et normaux. Il rassemblera tous les relais et capteurs nécessaires à la protection, au contrôle et à la surveillance de ce nouveau système, à la fois sur place et à distance depuis la salle de contrôle du pavillon de D et T. Les nouveaux générateurs prendront place dans des coffrets extérieurs, adjacents au CEE. Le bus de synchronisation du générateur disposera des connexions du générateur, des positions des lignes d’alimentation et de places supplémentaires pour le générateur temporaire, le banc de charge et les futures connexions du générateur.

Deux services 25 kV de BC Hydro supplanteront le service unique existant. Cette double alimentation redondante donnera la possibilité au service public d’alimenter le site depuis l’une ou l’autre de deux sous-stations distinctes, selon le besoin, renforçant ainsi la résilience de l’installation en cas de pannes en amont et éliminant un point unique de défaillance. Deux transformateurs de 3 mégavolts ampères (MVA) serviront à réduire l’alimentation de 25 kV de BC Hydro à une distribution de 12,5 kV, dans une configuration N+1. La possibilité de remplacer ces transformateurs par des unités de 5 MVA est prévue dans le dispositif, pour accompagner l’évolution future de la demande du site. La distribution du CEE vers l’HGV actuel et les bâtiments à venir se fera à 12,5 kV.

La conception fraîche du CEE comprend une capacité de générateur de 3 MVA dès le départ, afin de couvrir la demande de pointe existante du site tout en offrant une redondance N+1. L’espace, les emplacements de raccordement des équipements, ainsi que les conduits ont été pensés pour une installation future de nouveaux générateurs pour accompagner la croissance de la charge, tout en conservant une redondance N+1. Le choix s’est porté sur une tension de 12,5 kV pour la production et la distribution sur le site, afin de réduire les problèmes d’affaiblissement de tension et d’assurer la disponibilité commerciale des équipements.

Des lignes d’alimentation de 12,5 kV et des conduits de remplacement partiront souterrainement du CEE pour rejoindre la nouvelle salle électrique située aux deuxième niveau du pavillon de D et T, au-dessus du risque d’inondation. Trois transformateurs minimiseront davantage la puissance à 600 V pour le raccordement aux nouveaux panneaux de branchements vitaux, vitaux temporisés et vitaux conditionnels. Ces panneaux se reconnecteront provisoirement à la distribution existante du pavillon de D et T. Un concept de reconnexion des services de D et T a été élaboré pour substituer l’équipement vieux de 40 ans et la majorité des lignes d’alimentation existantes.

Les atouts du nouveau CEE sont nombreux et dépassent largement la distribution d’énergie essentielle et l’atténuation des catastrophes naturelles. Le CEE peut soutenir toutes les charges normales de l’hôpital avec une alimentation conditionnelle, offrant une flexibilité accrue lors de pannes prolongées des services publics. La blanchisserie régionale située sur le site bénéficiera également d’une reconfiguration pour se raccorder à la nouvelle distribution conditionnelle du CEE. Ainsi, en plus d’améliorer la fiabilité du service en cas de coupure de courant, cela ouvre la porte à l’électrification future de cette installation.

main distribution switchgear and as much of the existing feeders as practicable.

The benefits of the new EEC are substantial, providing many beyond essential power distribution and natural disaster mitigation. The facility will offer the ability to support all existing normal loads in the hospital with the conditional branch power for increased flexibility in operations during extended utility outages. The regional laundry facility on-site will also be reconfigured to connect to the new EEC conditional distribution, thereby improving service reliability during power outages and allowing for future electrification of this facility.

It is these combined crucial features that are required for health campuses like VGH to continue to grow and change to meet patient demands. Although the process of replacing the main distribution and essential power equipment in an active hospital can be immensely disruptive and introduce unnecessary risk, this project presents a unique opportunity for Island Health. By combining the necessary replacement of end-of-life equipment with the desired upgrade for future site needs, while optimizing project cost and minimizing disruptions to operations due to the parallel buildout implementation plan, Island Health will be able to achieve incredibly successful results.

To implement this, Phase 1 will include construction of the new EEC building, the new utility services, the generation plant and associated commissioning. Phase 2 will include construction and commissioning of the new D&T electrical room along with the duct bank connecting it to the EEC.

Phases 3 and 4 are where the benefit of building a new EEC in a separate location, instead of in situ, play a large role in downtime reduction. In Phase 3, essential loads will be supplied from the current generation plant, while the main service supply is migrated from the existing utility service to the new D&T distribution, thereby temporarily supplying the entire site from the new EEC via the old distribution equipment. The existing generators and automatic transfer switches can then be decommissioned to make room for Phase 4 — load migration.

During the load migration phase, new feeders will be installed from the new D&T distribution to the existing sub-electrical rooms prior to numerous controlled outages. Each load will be migrated to a new breaker in the corresponding 600V power branch in the new D&T electrical room. This phase will require meticulous planning and coordination with facility maintenance and operations staff, as well as clinicians. The resulting power interruptions will be short in duration and only impact small areas at a time, making the disruption much easier to manage.

Once all loads have been migrated, the remaining 40-year-old distribution equipment can be removed and the existing main electrical room on Level 1 can be repurposed.

The new EEC project is currently in the design development stage and will proceed to contract documents pending funding approvals.

C’est l’association de ces caractéristiques capitales qui permet aux complexes hospitaliers tels que l’HGV de poursuivre leur expansion et leur évolution afin de répondre aux besoins des patients. Remplacer la distribution principale et l’équipement électrique essentiel dans un hôpital en activité peut se révéler extrêmement déstabilisant et introduire des risques superflus. Cependant, ce projet incarne une occasion unique pour Island Health. Celle-ci est en mesure d’obtenir des résultats étonnamment bénéfiques en couplant le remplacement nécessaire des équipements vieillissants à l’amélioration souhaitée pour les besoins futurs du site, tout en optimisant le coût du projet et en diminuant les perturbations opérationnelles grâce à l’approche du développement parallèle.

Pour ce faire, la première phase englobera la construction du nouveau bâtiment du CEE, des nouveaux services publics, de la centrale de production et de la mise en service afférente. La seconde phase comportera la construction et la mise en service de la nouvelle salle électrique du pavillon de D et T, ainsi que le chemin de câbles la reliant au CEE.

Les phases 3 et 4 sont celles où l’avantage de construire un nouveau CEE dans un endroit séparé, plutôt que sur place, joue un rôle important dans la réduction des temps d’arrêt. Au cours de la phase 3, les charges essentielles seront alimentées par la centrale actuelle, tandis que l’alimentation principale sera transférée du service public existant à la nouvelle distribution du pavillon de D et T, ce qui permettra d’alimenter temporairement l’ensemble du site à partir de la nouvelle centrale électrique via l’ancien équipement de distribution. Les générateurs et les commutateurs de transfert automatiques existants peuvent alors être mis hors service pour faire place à la phase 4, soit la migration de la charge.

Durant la phase de migration de la charge, de nouvelles alimentations s’installeront depuis la nouvelle distribution du pavillon de D et T jusqu’aux salles électriques secondaires, avant l’amorce de multiples arrêts contrôlés. Chaque charge transitera vers un nouveau disjoncteur dans le raccordement d’alimentation 600V adapté, dans la nouvelle salle électrique du pavillon de D et T. Cette phase appelle une préparation et une coordination rigoureuses avec le personnel dédié à l’entretien des installations et à leur gestion, ainsi qu’avec le personnel clinique. Les coupures de courant qui en découleront seront brèves et n’impacteront que des zones restreintes à la fois, faisant des perturbations une affaire bien plus aisée à gérer.

Une fois toutes les charges transférées, l’équipement de distribution quadragénaire peut être démantelé et la salle électrique principale actuelle de niveau 1 peut connaître une nouvelle affectation.

Le projet CEE se trouve actuellement dans sa phase de conception et progressera vers les documents contractuels, sous réserve de l’approbation du financement.

Lisanne Naeth, ing., est ingénieure électricienne senior chez AES Engineering, à Victoria. Lisanne est spécialisée dans les installations de soins de santé et elle est l’ingénieure électricienne principale pour le projet de centre d’énergie électrique de l’hôpital général Victoria. On peut lui écrire à lisanne.naeth@ aesengr.com.

Lisanne Naeth, P.Eng., is a senior electrical engineer at AES Engineering, based out of the Victoria office. Lisanne specializes in healthcare facilities and she is the lead electrical engineer for the Victoria General Hospital electrical energy centre project. She can be reached at lisanne.naeth@aesengr.com.

A CAREFULLY

CHOREOGRAPHED BUILD

Redevelopment of Burnaby Hospital to replace aging infrastructure, add new services in two phases

By Wendy Young

Since opening in 1952, Burnaby Hospital has grown from a small community hospital to serve British Columbia’s third largest city, providing healthcare services to patients along the continuum of care from welcoming new life to facing end-of-life.

After four decades since its last major renovation, the hospital is currently undergoing a much-needed expansion and upgrade that

will transform it into a modernized healthcare campus. The multi-phase redevelopment will replace declining infrastructure, accommodate new services and better meet the evolving healthcare needs of its rapidly expanding and aging population.

Phase 1 of the project involves the construction of a new six-storey pavilion with 83 beds, as well as a seven-storey expansion to the existing hospital. The

campus will see the demolition of two buildings and undergo renovations in select areas.

The redeveloped Burnaby Hospital is designed with patients and the hospital community in mind, delivering agile services that adapt to future technological advancements and sustainable practices. The spaces will be modern, inviting and comfortable, enhancing the patient experience and assist-

Rendering courtesy B+H Architects

BUILD

ing care teams in delivering exceptional, personalized and timely care.

Most patient rooms will be singleoccupancy, providing greater privacy and comfort. These rooms will feature large windows to allow natural light and a connection with nature, promoting healing and well-being.

The inpatient mental health and substance use unit will offer home-like environments, including private rooms, common dining and lounge areas, and a secured outdoor patio.

The maternity unit will provide singleroom maternity care, where individuals will go through labour and delivery, and will recover for the rest of their stay. Patients will have access to labouring bathtubs situated in the room, as opposed to the bathroom, for improved pain management, well-being and care experience.

Based on insights gained from the COVID-19 pandemic, the facility will incorporate enhanced features to respond to future pandemics. The medical inpatient unit will have the ability to be divided into two separate units to create outbreak control zones. Vestibules for donning/doffing personal protective equipment and airborne isolation rooms will ensure the protection of both patients and staff.

In addition to these facility design improvements, Burnaby Hospital will implement a choice dining service model that allows patients to select their meal preferences to be delivered at the bedside, with the goal of providing a better patient experience and reducing food waste.

Beyond the clinical areas, there is considerable attention to the technical designs to ensure the new facility meets the needs of today and tomorrow, focusing on climate resiliency and post-disaster readiness.

The hospital’s new energy centre will increase electrical capacity to support the hospital’s growth. It will supply an underground high-voltage ring distribution system along the perimeter of the campus with high-voltage distribution available for future expansions. This will allow for emergency high-voltage distribution to the entire campus in the event of a catastrophic failure on one end of the campus.

The three generators — rated for three megawatts/12-kilovolt with an 80-hour fuel supply — will automatically transfer vital, delayed vital and conditional power to provide a nearly seamless transition during unplanned power outages. The three transformers will feed essential switchboards, sized for complete, essential

load redundancy during planned maintenance or unexpected outages.

Phase 1 of the redevelopment is scheduled for completion in 2026. Phase 2, which will add an inpatient tower with approximately 160 beds and a new cancer centre to the campus, is awaiting business plan approval later this year.

Upon project completion, Burnaby Hospital will be transformed into a healthcare facility that supports hospital staff and medical teams in delivering quality care experiences to all patients and their families, ultimately contributing to better health outcomes.

Wendy Young is a senior communications consultant with Fraser Health on the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment project.

The maternity unit will provide single-room maternity care, where individuals will go through labour and delivery, and will recover for the rest of their stay. Rendering courtesy Kirsten Reite Architecture.

BUILDING MORE

THAN HOSPITALS

Build Nova Scotia’s EDI program ensures construction worksites reflect Cape Breton’s diverse communities

By Erin Forsey

Robyn Lee Seale describes her position as diversity and inclusion lead with Build Nova Scotia as “building support and bridging gaps.”

In her role, Seale works with government, diverse communities and industry to ensure construction sites in Cape Breton, N.S., are representative of communities that have traditionally been marginalized. The sites are part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) healthcare redevelopment project, which spans four communities and involves major expansions and renovations to existing hospitals, as well as building new healthcare infrastructure.

For an area that has been challenged by out-migration and economic downturn, the project is a chance to revitalize the region and engage underrepresented communities.

“This project is about more than new buildings; it’s about economic change and a transformation for the region,” says Seale. “These

projects will support quality public services with modern facilities that will meet people’s needs for generations to come. With my role, there is an opportunity to involve more people from historically marginalized communities to develop business opportunities and create a new generation of diverse workers to support growth in the area.”

The goal of the equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiative is to work with underrepresented communities to ensure they are involved and benefiting from these large-scale construction projects. These groups include African Nova Scotian, Indigenous and other visibly racialized people; women; people with disabilities; and newcomers. Specifically, some of the EDI initiative work involves partnering with industry, community groups and other government agencies to develop mandatory diversity and inclusion orientation sessions; metrics for measuring equity and inclusion on sites; guiding principles for diversity and inclusion efforts

for all sites; and monthly working group meetings. With support from two co-operative students, Seale is also working on developing a digital app to help managers expand their EDI capacities, as well as tools to support inclusive language and respective worksites.

“The initiative has been an opportunity to see a new generation of workers from Indigenous, black (and) newcomer communities, as well as people with disabilities and women on the project’s construction sites,” says Seale. “This is the first initiative of its kind for our province. Now that we see it’s working, we are focusing on building industry capacity.”

The target for the EDI initiative is for a minimum of 10 per cent of those working on construction sites in CBRM to be representative of diverse groups and communities. Currently, the EDI initiative is exceeding the diversity and inclusion target on all sites.

Continued on page 27

SUnDAY SEpTEMBEr 17, 2023

08:00-16:00 The Great CHES Golf Game – Sponsored by Miura Canada

Quarry Oaks Golf Club

(Bus time to be determined)

18:30-20:30

opening reception – Sponsored by Class 1 Inc.

reception Entertainment – Sponsored by Precise Parklink

Canadian Museum for Human Rights

MonDAY SEpTEMBEr 18, 2023

07:00-08:30 Breakfast – Sponsored by IEM

08:30-08:45 Opening Ceremonies

08:45-09:30 KEYnoTE ADDrESS – Sponsored by Honeywell

Isha Khan

Isha Khan is a lawyer, educator and community leader dedicated to building a culture of human rights in Canada and beyond. She assumed her role as CEO of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) in August 2020.

Born in Winnipeg, she holds degrees from the University off Manitoba and the University of Victoria. She worked in private practice in Calgary before returning home to lead institutional development and change management at United Way Winnipeg. She served at the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, first as legal counsel and then as Executive Director, moving forward several important rightsbased initiatives and public education campaigns. Before assuming her role at CMHR, she was appointed by the Government of Canada to review the conditions of incarcerated people in segregation in federal penitentiaries.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Khan is a dedicated community volunteer who serves as Board Chair of United Way Winnipeg. Throughout her life, Khan has helped build communities where everyone is respected and empowered to reach their full potential. She continues that work at CMHR, engaging people around the world in a growing movement for hope and human right.

09:30-10:30

pLEnArY SESSIon - TrACK 1

Track 1: When is an Upgrade More than an Upgrade? rethinking Traditional Approaches to Healthcare Infrastructure

renewal – Sponsored by Victaulic

Kim Spencer, P.Eng., LEED AP, Principal/Division Director, Health, HH Angus & Associates Ltd.

Edward Hood, P.Eng., Engineering Director, Health, HH Angus & Associates Ltd.

Julie Lawson, P.Eng., LEED AP, Senior Mechanical Engineer, Health, HH Angus & Associates Ltd.

As healthcare institutions grapple with significant challenges, it is increasingly important to not enter full ‘reactive mode’ but instead employ approaches that allow consideration of infrastructure upgrades as opportunities to improve the facilities and systems that support a safe, healthy, comfortable and productive environment for patients, staff and visitors.

10:30-11:00 refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall

– Sponsored by Belimo

11:00-12:00 TrACK 2: ConCUrrEnT SESSIonS 2A, 2B

Track 2A: Leveraging Climate resilience needs when Upgrading Facility Systems

Lisaw Westerhoff, Introba

Gordon McDonald, Introba

Daniel Gagne, Introba

With an ever-increasing focus on climate change, governments are leading the way in preparing buildings to be ‘climate resilient.’ This takes many forms, from improved building envelopes to smart buildings. Perhaps this is most prevalent in healthcare as these buildings tend to be at the forefront of complexity, high expectations and media exposure. In this session, we will cover assessing existing facilities from a climate resilience perspective to implementing recomendations in facility systems.

Track 2B: Keeping the power on While replacing Critical Electrical Equipment

Jeff Hankin, PE, LEED AP, Senior Principal, Engineering, Stantec

Maureen Jackson, PE, Principal Electrical, Stantec

Facilities facing aging infrastructure and the need to maintain reliable, continuous power services must employ critical thinking/collaborative team innovations to develop upgrade/replacement plans that address key needs while keeping power on.

12:00-13:00 TrACK 3: ConCUrrEnT SESSIonS 3A, 3B

Track 3A: Digital Transformation roadmap to the Future Smart Hospital

Mike Maselli, Introba

Daniel Gagne, Introba

Leveraging digital transformation to plan and execute a smart hospital strategy to help the challenges healthcare providers face with high costs, changing care models, staff retention, consumerization of healthcare, decarbonization and cyber security, with steps every system can take to assess their current state and envision a digital future.

Track 3B: This is Exciting: Energizing Healthcare Facilities through CSA/ISo 50001 Energy Management Systems

Kate Butler, P.Eng., LEED AP, Executive Director, Energy Management, Service New Brunswick Health Services

Blaine Lynch, Regional Director, Facilities, Engineering and Property Maintenance, Horizon Health Network

Energy management systems, as per CSA/ISO 50001 guidelines, can support healthcare facilities as organizations rejuvenate their infrastructure and invest in capital while being environmental stewards that supports exceptional patient care. In 2021, Horizon Health Network implemented the guidelines across the organization at an enterprise and site level. This session will provide an overview of CSA/ISO 50001 energy management system guidelines, as well as share Horizon’s implementation with outcomes, experiences and lessons learned.

13:00-14:00 Lunch in Exhibit Hall – Sponsored by DuBois Chemicals

15:00-16:00

TrACK 4: ConCUrrEnT SESSIonS 4A, 4B

Track 4A: responding to a Water Management Crisis: “Green Water”

Michael Stanford, PMP, CHE, Executive Director, Alberta Health Services

Brian Flannigan, Senior Vice-President, Marketing, Phigenics

An effective and efficient water management program can be used to assist in the restoration of services during a crisis. Learn how one organization responded and used a water management program to recover from the sudden development of “green water” in a brand-new hospital addition. This session will present a summary of the situation, resources required and how the lessons learned are being applied to future construction projects and ongoing water management.

Track 4B:

Applying Climate risk and Vulnerability Assessments to Healthcare Facilities

Lauretta Massimiliano, EIT, LEED AP ID+C, ISO 31000 Risk Manager, Mechanical EIT, CBCL

Martino Fanfani, CBCL

Climate change is posing wide-ranging and ever-evolving challenges to healthcare facilities across Canada. A core aspect of operating any facility sustainably is considering potential impacts of climate change and cost-effective adaptation strategies during both the design and operation of buildings. This session will discuss relevant climate projections for practitioners, as well as best practices for assessing risk and adapting to climate change through relevant case study examples in various locations across Canada.

16:00-17:00 ”Happy Hour” in Exhibit Hall – Sponsored by Trane

18:00-19:00

19:00-23:00

president’s reception – Sponsored by Tremco York Ballroom 2-4 & Concourse, RBC Convention Centre

Gala Banquet – Sponsored by Johnson Controls

Banquet Entertainment – Big City All Star Band

– Sponsored by SDI Canada York Ballroom 1, RBC Convention Centre

TUESDAY SEpTEMBEr 19, 2023

07:00-08:30 Breakfast – Sponsored by ft3 Architecture Landscape Interior Design

08:30-09:30 TrACK 5: ConCUrrEnT SESSIonS 5A, 5B

Track 5A: M&E post Disaster resilience rejuvenation

Collin Vaness, MCW Consulting Ltd.

This session will focus on upgrading/rejuvenating mechanical and electrical systems for medium to high-risk healthcare infrastructure located in environmentally unstable areas of Canada. It will also provide an overall roadmap that will help better prepare facility operators, architects, engineers and policymakers to deal with the challenges that will be faced when preparing for and operating after a major environmental disaster has occurred.

Track 5B: Future-proofing Toronto Western Hospital:

Decarbonizing Healthcare HVAC Infrastructure using Wastewater Energy

Songyang Hu, P.Eng., CEM, Patient Energy Manager, University Health Network

Campbell Quinn, P.Eng., Senior Project Manager, Noventa

Michael Kurz, P.Eng., CEM, Team Lead, Energy and Innovation, University Health Network

University Health Network (UHN) and Noventa will present their Wastewater Energy Transfer (WET) project at Toronto Western Hospital, which uses wastewater as an alternative energy source and converts the hospital’s HVAC infrastructure from steam to hot water to reduce 8,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The session covers how the system works and how the project will accelerate similar initiatives in the future.

09:30-10:15

CHES national Annual General Meeting

CHES 2024 presentation

Island Health is developing a low carbon roadmap to 2030 and beyond in collaboration with our partners. The roadmap guides the organization’s pathway to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, decarbonization and electrification. It is a shared vision for prioritizing future capital projects on the basis of technical viability and cost-effectiveness in order to create a viable path to a minimum 50% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030, with considerations for our future 2050 target of 80% emissions reductions.

14:15-15:15 TrACK 7: ConCUrrEnT SESSIonS 7A, 7B

Track 7A: Managing Infrastructure, Space and the relationship Between Them

Andy Santoro, P.Eng., President, Sansys Inc.

Scott Payne, William Osler Health System

For the most part, existing documentation used as a reference for managing space and infrastructure equipment consists of a hodgepodge of inaccurate, outdated as-builts, manuals and floor plans in both paper and digital media. Facility planning and maintenance staff rely on this information to maintain and operate infrastructure and manage space.

Tools are now available to provide a simple, secure and accurate representation of space and the equipment infrastructure that supports it.

Track 7B: Transitioning Central plants from Steam-centric, High Carbon to Integrated Low Carbon Systems

Ian Jarvis, Executive Director, Climate Challenge Network

Amandeep Deol, Technical Director, Climate Challenge Network

The transition to low carbon is changing the way we look at hospital infrastructure. Hospitals are at the frontline of the drive to cut greenhouse gas emissions, with central plants being a primary area for attention. Low carbon plants, including integrated heat recovery and air conditioning chillers, comprehensive heat reclaim, condensing boilers and renewable energy, are being designed into new hospitals. The challenge is to economically transition existing hospital plants to low carbon ones.

15:15-15:45 refreshment Break

– Sponsored by Camfil

15:45-16:45 pLEnArY SESSIon - TrACK 8

TRACK 8: Space Management Enabling the Launch of a Virtual Hospital

Martine Jacnicki, PhD, P.Eng., PMP, EDAC Director, Facilities and Land Development, Fraser Health

10:15-10:45

10:15-11:15

10:15-14:15

12:15-13:15

13:15-14:15

refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall

CHES Manitoba Chapter Annual General Meeting

Exhibit Hall open

Lunch in the Exhibit Hall/Draw prizes – Sponsored by SMS Engineering

TrACK 6: ConCUrrEnT SESSIonS 6A, 6B

Track 6A: What’s in Your Ductwork? Lessons Learned from an operating room Event

Gordie Howie, ASHE President

This session will discuss events that led to a hospital in the United States immediately stopping performance of procedures in its operating room suite, what was identified and what actions were taken. Lessons learned that can translate across borders will also be examined.

Track 6B: A Low Carbon roadmap to Meeting 2030 and 2050 Emissions Goals pierre Iachetti, RPP, MCIP, PAg, LEED Green Associate, Director of Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Facilities Management, Island Health

Fraser Health space management was engaged to develop a built environment for an innovative virtual hospital to help address the unprecedented pressure on care sites and provide virtual services “post” pandemic. Upon assessment, existing corporate space in a commercial building was selected. Months of staff engagement, space planning, furniture purchasing and challenging infrastructure upgrades resulted in the successful launch of Fraser Virtual, Virtual — 24/7 virtual services by more than 100 administrative and clinical staff.

16:45-17:00 Closing Ceremonies

Abatement Technologies

Air Liquide Healthcare

Altro Canada, Inc.

AMG Medical

Amico Corporation

Aqua Air Systems Ltd.

Ascom

Atlas-Apex Roofing (Saskatchewan) Inc.

Austco

B.G.E. Service & Supply Ltd.

Belimo Aircontrols (CAN) Inc.

Bender Canada Inc.

Buckworld Western

Camfil Canada Inc.

Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care

Centura Western

Chem-Aqua

CHES

Class 1 Inc.

Construction Specialties, Inc.

Cool Air Rentals

CSA Group

Cypress Sales Partnership

Dafco Filtration Group

DCM Inc.

DDC Dolphin Ltd.

Delta Controls Inc.

Delta Faucet Canada

ECNG Energy Group

Erv Parent

ESC Automations Inc.

Finning Power Systems

Firestop Contractors International Association (FCIA)

FlashCove Canada

Flatland Inspection Services Ltd.

Flynn Canada Ltd.

Follett LLC

Franke Kindred Canada Limited

Global Plasma Solutions Inc.

Grundfos

Guard RFID Solutions Inc.

Hikvision Canada

Hippo CMMS

Honeywell

IEM Industrial Electric Mfg (Canada) Inc.

ipcGUARD LTD

IRC Building Sciences Group

Islandaire

Johnson Controls

Klenzoid Canada Inc.

Levitt-Safety

MediaEdge Communications Inc.

MIP Inc.

Miura Canada Co. Ltd.

Mondo Contract Flooring

Morris Lee

OES Wellness Group

On2 Solutions

Pinchin Ltd.

Precise Parklink Inc.

Precision AirConvey Waste & Linen Conyeing Group

PRIMCO

Primex, Inc.

Rauland

Reliable Controls Corporation

Reliance Worldwide Corporation (Canada) Inc.

Saskatchewan Masonry Institute Inc.

Schneider Electric Canada Inc.

SciCan Ltd.

Smillie McAdams Summerlin Ltd.

Specified Technologies Inc.

Spirax Sarco

STERIS Canada Sales ULC

Swisslog Healthcare

Texcan, A sonepar Company

Thermal Insulation Association of Canada

Thermogenics

Thomson Power Systems

Tower Tech (Fiberglass) colling tower - Longhill Energy

Trane

Tremco

Umano Medical

Vernacare Canada Inc.

Victaulic

WESCO Distribution Canada

Willis/Corian Design

Window Film Canada

David Benoit, CEO of Build Nova Scotia, believes the initiative’s success is due to commitment from staff and communities.

“Robyn Lee‘s work on this initiative has made sure Cape Breton, and, by extension, Nova Scotia and its construction industry are at the leading edge of diversity, inclusivity and equity. She has helped prove how we achieve greatness only when we have contributions from everyone,” he says. “The government is delivering an ambitious program of reinvestment around the province and this part will have lasting positive implications for generations to come.”

For Seale, she credits the EDI initiative’s success to strong leadership and support at the grassroots level.

“We’ve been fortunate to have leadership from Build Nova Scotia and the local construction industry support the initiative within their teams, while diverse communities at the grassroots level helped build it,” she says. “Our equity communities have been engaged from day one, clearly stating their goals with the expectation that they would be fully at the table for this generational project. Through measurement, reporting and accountability, we share our learnings and together we are working to make our sites more safe, inclusive and diverse.”

The CBRM healthcare redevelopment project was announced by the provincial government in 2018. The project involves expansions and renovations to existing hospitals, as well as building new healthcare centres, long-term care homes, a laundry centre, school, new Cape Breton Cancer Centre and clinical services building that will house an emergency department, critical care department, inpatient beds, surgical suites and family/newborn services at the island’s regional hospital.

CHES SCISS

National Healthcare Facilities and Engineering Week

October 15 - 21, 2023

Recognize yourself, your department and your staff during National Healthcare Facilities and Engineering Week (NHFWE). Make sure everybody knows the vital role played by CHES members in maintaining a safe, secure and functioning environment for your institution.

*2023 Challenge*

CHES members are challenged to celebrate NHFEW by creating a short video and posting it on LinkedIn or Twitter using #NHFEW. CHES will then like and share it on LinkedIn (@CHES National Office) and Twitter (@CHES_SCISS).

Erin Forsey is senior communications advisor, Cape Breton Regional Municipality healthcare redevelopment project, at Nova Scotia Health.

Robyn Lee Seale (left) is the diversity and inclusion lead with Build Nova Scotia. t

A VISION FOR THE FUTURE

How smart healthcare technology can help improve operational results, patient outcomes

By Jerry Folsom

The Canadian healthcare system continues to face an array of challenges: ongoing pressures from the COVID19 pandemic; burnout among providers and healthcare workers; staffing shortages; and an aging, sicker patient population. Recent healthcare reforms, such as the consolidation of health regions, may help but experts are calling for even deeper, more systemic changes.

Technological innovation continues to play a major role in every industry, with the healthcare sector positioned to benefit tremendously from improvements. For instance, consider the impact of virtual healthcare and its rapid adoption through the pandemic. Likewise, data analytics, artificial intelligence and other emerging smart healthcare technologies can not only help Canada’s health system overcome the challenges it faces today but also prepare it for the future.

UNDERSTANDING THE SMART HOSPITAL

A smart hospital is much more than a collection of digital technologies and apps. It’s a complete healing environment in which all healthcare technologies work together to help reduce operational costs and improve efficiencies, while also having a positive impact on patients, staff and the health authority. Smart hospitals adopt a people-centric philosophy as the backbone for integrating infrastructure, software, devices and functions to improve cost structures, ease operational complexity, prevent infection, speed recovery, respond to emergencies faster, and create a healing and comfortable environment.

In the end, a smart hospital effectively becomes part of the healthcare delivery team.

IMPROVING OPERATIONAL RESULTS

Because the federal government has com-

mitted to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, initiatives that improve energy efficiency, conserve resources and enhance sustainability efforts have come into sharper focus within the healthcare sector. Smart hospital technologies can help achieve these goals while helping to reduce operational costs, too.

For example, operating rooms are energy-intensive due to their high concentration of devices and equipment; continuous need for ventilation, precise temperature controls and lighting; and demand for cleaning, disinfection and sanitization. Smart surgical suites, enabled by an integrated building management system (BMS), can help address these concerns dynamically and automatically. Using data from the surgical scheduling system, the smart surgical suite adapts its environment so it’s ready to go before a procedure but remains in an unoc-

cupied mode when not in use. This approach conserves energy and reduces the workload of clinical and facilities staff, who would otherwise need to manually adjust temperature, ventilation, lighting and other settings for a successful surgery.

The smart hospital can also depend on Health Level Seven data to achieve energy savings. Admit/discharge/transfer feeds inform the BMS when specific patient rooms are occupied. When unoccupied, rooms can shift to energy saving mode to reduce costs and resource consumption, without the need for added room sensors. Rooms can then adjust their settings, so all patients arrive to a comfortable space.

Additionally, smart hospitals can enable operational improvements through predictive maintenance insights and strategies, enhanced reliability and uptime for critical spaces, centralized command and control of fire and security systems, asset tracking, and optimized space management and utilization. For assets like HVAC equipment, predictive maintenance and prevention of downtime can also have a great impact on safety and wellness.

Real-time location services (RTLS) can monitor and alert clinical staff on the whereabouts of medical equipment and patients, which can help ensure patients are in the right rooms with the right staff and equipment at the right time. Leveraging technologies like RTLS and associated software to improve patient throughput in existing facilities could potentially reduce or slow the need for additional facilities.

Healthcare organizations can also leverage data to improve surgical room operations, which can affect expenses, patient experiences and staff satisfaction. Predictive analytics can provide advanced notice of infrastructure issues. In this way, teams can make repairs during off-peak hours or pre-emptively adjust surgery schedules and room assignments as needed. In either case, the hospital avoids unnecessary and costly disruptions and downtime.

ENHANCING EXPERIENCES

From the moment someone arrives at a hospital, the building affects their entire experience. It can be difficult to navigate a healthcare facility under the best of circumstances but when an older building has multiple additions constructed over decades, it can become even more complicated.

A smart hospital, however, can provide

real-time graphical directions and wayfinding on a patient’s mobile device. In this way, clinical teams can also gain visibility into the patient’s estimated time of arrival, so their schedules can be adjusted accordingly. If a patient is going to be late, this visibility allows clinical teams to work with other patients who have already arrived, minimizing the ripple effect of delays.

Creating smart patient rooms can improve patient and staff experiences, too. A smart patient room allows patients to control the comfort of their environment, letting them adjust the temperature, lighting and window blinds from their bed. Whether using voice-activated room controls like a virtual assistant, tablet or nurse call pillow speaker, bedside controls may also reduce the incidence of patient falls; by allowing patients to control their room environment from their bed, they are less likely to get out of it to adjust a wall thermostat or turn off lights.

In this way, the smart patient room alleviates burden on clinical staff. Instead of devoting time to changing room settings, staff can focus on what matters most: caring for patients.

OPTIMAL CONDITIONS FOR HEALING

Studies show a patient’s environment significantly contributes to better and faster healing. Temperature and ventilation settings are key but so, too, is lighting and how it can affect a patient’s circadian rhythm.

A smart patient room incorporates circadian lighting strategies, which follow people’s — and the sun’s — natural rhythms. Brighter, whiter daytime lighting can support increased alertness during waking hours. As evening approaches, the lighting automatically and gradually adjusts intensity and colour to achieve optimal conditions for sleepiness and, consequently, recovery, without disrupting patients and staff.

An estimated 220,000 Canadians contract a hospital-associated infection (HAI) every year, resulting in about 8,000 deaths. Smart healthcare technologies can help here, as well. Indoor air quality monitors can optimize a facility’s fresh air intake strategy to mitigate some risk of HAIs. Likewise, room sensors to monitor and manage density in common areas provide actionable data that support real estate planning and reconfiguration.

Smart glass, which can appear transparent or frosted, has emerged in recent years as another way healthcare facilities can

precisely control the patient environment. Facilities equipped with smart glass can use their BMS to control how the glass appears, providing privacy for exam and patient rooms and transparency for observation and security concerns. Moreover, smart glass can reduce or even eliminate the need for fabric curtains and dividers, which can be contaminated with infectious agents.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

Transforming the vision for the future of healthcare into a reality entails careful planning, early engagement with technology and engineering experts, and an understanding of cybersecurity requirements. Because a smart healthcare facility means multiple building and healthcare systems must work together seamlessly, supported by the right infrastructure and integrated BMS, early engagement is especially important.

Many people think smart hospitals are expensive. But the reality is smart hospitals offer the opportunity to reduce construction and operational costs. In some cases, multiple hardware and software systems can be eliminated from designs and replaced with multi-function controllers and software, saving costly yet necessary integration steps. A good way to think of this is to consider how many devices a smartphone has replaced.

For existing locations, a variety of services can integrate, extract and analyze data from infrastructure components, often without replacing hardware, for actionable insights. For example, healthcare organizations can aggregate data from the BMS and electronic health record. Precise reporting of surgical room conditions during each procedure can then verify adherence to standards and regulatory requirements.

For a new facility, a technology partner supports the project’s development by aligning building systems with the goals of the health authority, leveraging smart hospital technologies, consolidating systems and architecture, and selecting the right materials and components. These advantages can deliver construction and operational cost savings while also avoiding duplicate systems and equipment.

Jerry Folsom is global head of digital portfolio for vertical markets at Siemens, a technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, transport and healthcare.

UNDER OBSERVATION

Using ActiveIAQ, remote sensors to monitor continued health of buildings

By David Muise & Jack Dulmage

The natural environment may seem static but it is a complex system that changes continuously at different speeds. As the understanding of the relationship between climate and the environment grows so does the necessity for real-time environmental monitoring and data collection. Real-time data collection and analysis will lead to the development of efficiencies that can be used to optimize the performance of the built environment.

This necessity has spurred the creation of innovative equipment and technologies that

nearly make obsolete the traditional air quality assessment practices of sample collection, laboratory transport and analysis. These new methodologies are cost-effective and convenient for long-term or annual monitoring needs and can be utilized to supplement or replace the traditional assessment.

Many of Canada’s leading building owners and facility managers have been looking to real-time indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring technology in response to COVID19 occupancy challenges. IAQ monitoring as part of a robust pandemic management

strategy was and is a powerful tool to provide insights on understanding building occupancy and transmission risk. The benefits of this form of data collection can be realized well beyond COVID-19 and will make building environments more desirable in the future.

ActiveIAQ incorporates a reliable and maintenance-free real-time monitoring solution that can be utilized in many environments from construction to commercial buildings to healthcare facilities. In healthcare settings, monitoring can be used during

ongoing construction or renovation. Air quality monitoring needs to be completed during construction or renovation to ensure the health of healthcare workers and patients when infection control measures have been implemented.

To determine the true benefits of ActiveIAQ, a pilot project was launched with a healthcare provider in Ontario. The purpose of the project was to see where efficiencies could be built into air sampling processes during construction and renovation work at a city hospital. This project was coordinated with the hospital’s facilities management and engineering department, as well as its infection prevention and control (IPAC) team to monitor inhalable air particles, specifically particulate matter with a diameter of 10 microns or less (PM10). However, in the interest of seeing what this technology was capable of, the hospital also elected to track temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide and smaller particulate (PM1, 2.5 and 4).

In initial coordination meetings, the hospital requested a traditional IAQ suite, with specific monitoring for PM10 using a conventional IAQ monitor for spot measurements. These devices are routinely used to complete this type of monitoring for hospitals but require a technician to conduct the sampling. And if used for longer term monitoring, the timeframe is typically 24-hour data logging periods. It was determined that due to the length of the project and level of involvement required to complete it, there may be more cost-effective ways to procure the data. ActiveIAQ, or real-time continuous monitoring, was proposed for consideration.

One of the main benefits of using this remote sensor technology was trends in IAQ could be tracked and reports created. But the most attractive advantage was the technology could provide live alerts if any air quality parameter thresholds were broken. The option of live alerts was crucial as sensitive populations were nearby. The theory was if IAQ trends could be tracked and alerts received when there was a breach, mitigation actions could be implemented in real-time, too. It wasn’t long before this was put to the test.

On the first night of work, there was a breach of the PM10 parameter just inside the site isolation ante room. Sensors had been installed both inside and directly outside the

ante room to record in real-time when the work area was dusty and whether dust would migrate from the work area to occupied areas of the hospital. (The strategy was if the ante room work area was above the IAQ threshold, the contractor would react immediately to reduce the site isolation dust levels before they could travel outside the work area.) There was an airborne particulate level exceedance in the ante room (IAQ node 6) at 11:30 p.m. (during working hours) that was not on the indoor reference sensor (IAQ node 7, present outside the work area). The contractor was able to view the workers’ exact practices and could easily determine specifically what was creating the exceedance. The contractor determined the ante room cleaning practices taking place at 11:30 p.m. were not adequate; they were altered to use more water to wet materials and added more HEPA vacuums to control airborne particulate. This resulted in no further exceedances throughout the week.

This is just one example of some of the applications utilized from ActiveIAQ. The accountability of contractors with the live alert system and the IPAC department’s ability to clearly show trends and create reports for project stakeholders has been instrumental in creating a safe and comfortable patient environment next to an active construction project.

As a result of using ActiveIAQ on this project, the consulting costs were reduced by 50 per cent of the conventional monitoring system cost. On top of its lower price, the ActiveIAQ system enabled real-time monitoring 24-7, 365 days a year. So, instead of a single snapshot in time or a 24-hour view of air quality conditions, all data was accessible to anyone who needed it and could be looked at from a smartphone.

The project provided a glimpse into the power of remote monitoring. As knowledge

advances and access to more reliable sensor technology is gained, the sky can be the limit. Other uses for ActiveIAQ are utilizing it as an in-duct sensor system to test the efficacy of HEPA filters inside hospital ventilation systems or to monitor negative pressure of IPAC site containments to enable a cheaper and more efficient way to surveil negative pressure while off-site. These and other applications are being constantly developed.

Monitoring buildings remotely is critical to staying relevant in the present operating environment. Taking control of current technology and being creative is an opportunity to improve processes. Real-time sensors allow for the proactive identification of areas of potential concern, so that reactive and agile mitigation actions can be taken to optimize the chance for a successful outcome.

With adaption to these innovative changes in the workplace, there will be a savings in time and money, followed by improvements in building performance outcomes. And because of the air quality in buildings being more consistent, the chances of a healthy building environment are increased.

David Muise is the national practice leader with the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) group at Pinchin Ltd. In this role, David’s focus is on the technical performance of his team to ensure clients receive consistent and responsive superior service in every region and across Pinchin’s IEQ offerings. Jack Dulmage is a project manager with the IEQ group in the Northeastern Ontario region. He is responsible for the management of projects, including infection control, pre-renovation and demolition assessments, indoor air quality (IAQ) assessments and mould investigations, among others. Pinchin is one of Canada’s largest environmental, engineering, building science, and health and safety consulting firms. ActiveIAQ is the company’s latest technology solution for IAQ testing.

THE MOST ATTRACTIVE ADVANTAGE OF USING ACTIVEIAQ WAS THE TECHNOLOGY COULD PROVIDE LIVE ALERTS IF ANY AIR QUALITY PARAMETER THRESHOLDS WERE BROKEN.

BECOMING BARRIER-FREE IN 2023

Your path to achieving a fully accessible healthcare facility, from the ground up!

For hospitals, accessibility is at the cornerstone of their services as they strive to provide equitable support and care for patients. Facility accessibility is more than just an afterthought or a feature to have — it’s critical to the success of healthcare environments.

Facility accessibility in the healthcare setting goes beyond just providing wheelchair access; true accessibility means the facility continually provides an inclusive, user-friendly, and accommodating environment that meets the needs of patients and occupants from all walks of life with diverse visual, auditory, and physical abilities.

“As your healthcare facilities evolve and change, it’s important to ensure that they are not only meeting the basic legislative requirements of today but considering future changes that may be required for tomorrow,” said David Lawrence, General Manager, Facility Maintenance and Operations. “The pandemic introduced numerous

modifications to facility accessibility in hospitals including changes to room layouts, signage requirements, and more. This means taking the right steps now to ensure your healthcare facility has accessible spaces designed with every patient in mind.”

And it all begins with having a good Facilities Management (FM) strategy in place. As Lawrence put it, “A strong FM provider continually ensures the functionality, comfort, safety, and efficiency of the facility and plays a key role in ensuring dedicated resources to support ongoing improvements. This helps lead to a healthcare setting in which all systems work together in harmony, from the parking lot to the operating rooms.”

Furthermore, with their in-depth knowledge of the facility and those using it, Facility Managers are uniquely qualified to help hospitals and healthcare facilities understand how they can best serve the diverse needs of their occupants and ensure that inclusive, safe spaces exist throughout.

THE PATH FORWARD

In addition to having a strong Facility Management strategy, here are some nearterm opportunities to improve accessibility throughout your healthcare facility:

1. Functional Parking Lots & Entrances

Facility accessibility begins in the hospital parking lot and at its entrance. Signage should be clear and visible to commuters and hospital vehicles with clearly indicated wheelchair-accessible parking spaces. These dedicated spaces should accommodate large, wheelchair-accessible vans. There should also be a safe, obvious path leading from the parking space to the entrance of the building.

On their way into the building, occupants should have clear exterior walkways, steps, ramps, curb cuts, and functional entrances. This is especially important for healthcare facilities with emergency services that rely on clear and timely access to the building. The route should be slipresistant and clear of debris, as well as free of hazards and uneven surfaces to protect vulnerable occupants. This can necessitate seasonal snow and ice removal services in severe weather. Facilities must also include barrier-free entrances with distinct wheelchair access for patients, as well as automatic doors and elevators when applicable.

2. Integrated Signage

Hospitals and healthcare facilities must support equal access to all those who enter, including those with visual impairments. This begins with accessible sign installation in all permanent spaces, rooms, bathrooms, elevators, and more. Signage must also include certain design characteristics like tactile elements with raised text, or braille, and specific visual features such as high contrast between the background and text.

3. Accessibility through Common Areas and Washrooms

Achieving facility accessibility in hospitals must also consider ease of movement around common areas, as well as washrooms to accommodate wheelchair users. In addition, having high-quality janitorial services performed at regular intervals is crucial to ensuring a tidy and maintained area that is clear of potential hazards.

4. Practical Building Lighting & Accessible Controls

An optimized lighting system ensures both patients and healthcare staff have a safe and productive environment. For safety purposes, the building should be evenly lit and must avoid areas that are too bright or too dark. To prevent

glare, glossy surfaces should be avoided, and walls and floors should have colours that are easy to differentiate. Additionally, the height of wall-mounted controls, such as light switches, automatic door openers, and thermostat controls, must accommodate individuals with different physical capabilities. The type of light switch is also important and can include toggle light switches or plate rocker switches, each with distinct accessibility features.

“The Facility Service experts at Black & McDonald can support your healthcare facility’s accessibility journey,” Lawrence said. “Our inhouse facilities management team can work in conjunction with you to develop a robust FM strategy that ensures your facility consistently offers accessibility, comfort and safety to your occupants.”

For more information, visit www.blackandmcdonald.com or reach out to facilityserviceinquiries@ blackandmcdonald.com

TO SECURITY A UNIFIED APPROACH

Improving patient, staff experiences from the front door to the bedside

By Karl Vancl

All aspects of healthcare have been impacted by COVID-19, creating challenges but also, as noted in Deloitte’s 2022 Global Health Care Outlook, “a powerful opportunity for the healthcare sector to reinvent itself.”

Video surveillance technologies have advanced during the pandemic with digitization, opening opportunities for healthcare organizations to use data gathered by video management systems (VMS) in combination with data from access control systems (ACS), automatic licence plate readers (ALPR), communication systems, sensors and more to protect buildings and people, and improve operational efficiency and the patient experience.

INCREASING OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY

Patient throughput is the primary measure of efficiency in a healthcare facility, and optimizing it falls across many departments. Unifying physical security solutions to centralize data can help security teams better function and information technology (IT) teams mitigate cyber threats. When data is centralized through a unified physical security platform and viewed in a single pane of glass, opportunities to respond faster and more adeptly can reach across departments.

The sheer number of false alarms in a healthcare setting, both at the bedside and overhead, has created a concerning desensitization that directly impacts the capability of security resources. The Canadian Medical Association has reported that 85 to 90 per cent of hospital alerts are either false alarms or don’t require intervention.

Unifying security cameras, door sensors, access events and Internet of Things (IoT) devices can reduce the number of false alarms, while viewing that data centrally and in real-time can help teams respond faster to true alarms. The reduction in noise and alarms also benefits caregivers, staff, patients and visitors to the hospital.

A unified physical security platform can also help security teams intervene in the event of violence against staff or patients, recognize licence plates of delivery trucks, visitors and staff to permit or deny access, or secure medicine cabinets. It can even help teams maintain compliance with regula-

tions and improve facility planning to increase patient throughput and staff satisfaction. When communication management capabilities are part of a unified platform, clinicians and staff can see and speak to patients remotely to validate they have scheduled appointments before granting them access to a building.

For larger hospital complexes, federating systems can centralize multiple campus views into one security operations centre, increasing the operational efficiency of physical security teams on a large scale.

MITIGATING CYBER THREATS

As healthcare organizations migrate sensitive data to new networks, add IoT devices to their networks and enable remote work and mobile devices, the risk of cybersecurity breaches grows along with the larger ‘attack surface.’ For the twelfth consecutive year, the healthcare industry has the highest data breach costs, according to risk management platform Upguard, paying an average $10.1 million US for a data breach in 2022, up more than nine per cent from 2021. The information accessed through these data breaches is extremely sensitive and needs to be thoroughly protected.

Physical security and information security are linked. There’s no difference in the result whether a hacker accesses an organization’s server rooms physically or through a video surveillance camera, piece of HVAC equipment or employee’s laptop. A collaborative IT and physical security team can develop a comprehensive program based on a common understanding of risk, responsibilities, strategies and practices.

To meet the challenges of a changing healthcare landscape, organizations must modernize their security infrastructure, working with unified core systems like VMS, ACS, ALPR and communications management on an open platform built from the ground up as one seamless solution.

A SAFER WORK ENVIRONMENT

Hospitals are inherently complex environments in which the needs of all stakeholders are equally important. One of the greater challenges the healthcare industry is facing right now is workplace violence. Four global health organizations surveyed their mem-

bers and found almost 60 per cent had seen an increase in reported cases of violence against their workforces during the pandemic. The U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics reported that workers in healthcare and social services experience the highest rates of injuries caused by workplace violence and are five times as likely to suffer a workplace violence injury than workers overall.

This disturbing trend, along with sick leaves, absenteeism and resignations, is leaving departments and units with skeleton staffs. At the same time, demand for healthcare is consistent and rising, and no matter the staff-to-patient ratio, proper care must be delivered.

When security systems are unified, operators in control centres can pool data and leverage multiple sources to see different angles and understand all aspects of an incident. This makes investigating incidents, such as unruly visitors, quicker. It also streamlines processes like managing access badges for staff, making them simpler.

Having real-time views of data from multiple VMS and ACS centralized on a single viewing pane also facilitates quicker responses to help deescalate violent or stressful situations, offering better protection to staff, patients and visitors. A unified security platform can include interactive mapping capabilities, too. These are important in helping staff visualize events, locate security devices and operators close by, pull up cameras, unlock doors or activate other devices, all from the same intuitive interface.

Outside the facility walls, data from ALPR systems can be combined with VMS data to help identify unexpected deliveries, investigate suspicious vehicle activity or monitor parking areas to ensure staff and patients are safe on hospital grounds. In addition to an extra level of security, these views can help organizations optimize traffic flow.

PRIVACY IS PARAMOUNT

While data from unified physical security systems can provide valuable insight to help create a safe, efficient environment, healthcare organizations must also pay close attention to data privacy. Regulations establish a minimum standard for how personal data should be stored and managed,

but organizations can do more than the minimum.

A modern VMS includes features to help ensure only authorized people access the data, and to control and monitor how they can access it. VMS should also include privacy protection capabilities, which can pixelate people in videos to blur identity and provide audit trails to ensure there is a record of who accessed data and when. For example, with this capability, staff can monitor room usage and availability while maintaining patient privacy.

IMPROVING THE PATIENT EXPERIENCE

Positive patient experience serves as a key performance indicator for all corners of a hospital, from the emergency room to outpatient clinics. With compensation, reimbursement and even quality outcomes often linked to patient feedback, healthcare organizations must place patient experience at the top of their priority list. Managing the impact of staff shortages, workplace violence and cyberattacks so they don’t affect patients is critical. A unified security system can help healthcare

SMARTER SECURITY.

organizations address these challenges and improve patient experience.

Patients want assurances that site security and visitor access are properly managed. From video surveillance to physical access control features, a unified platform should enhance the clinical experience, provide peace of mind and enable the patient to concentrate on getting back to good health. Family and friends want to know their loved ones are safe while receiving treatment or recovering from an illness away from home, and they want to experience well-organized access environments when visiting. This is especially true in the evening or other times when visiting is restricted. Authorized visitors should be able to easily access facilities to see loved ones without delay or excessive screening processes.

One of the key elements to ensuring patient satisfaction is the frequency of communication between patient and clinicians. Adding in-room video intercoms to an open, unified security platform allows caregivers to conduct routine patient check-ins remotely. They can speak with patients, visually confirm their status and determine

care needs without having to leave the nursing station or wasting personal protective equipment. This experience can leave both patients and staff feeling empowered.

COLLABORATION AND CONSOLIDATION

Healthcare administrators face increasingly difficult challenges. In this environment, they must secure facilities and campuses and provide uncompromised service. Unified, open security solutions are a source of untapped resources that can serve them in this mission. The key that unlocks these resources is a collaborative approach. Security, facilities and IT departments must work together to create unified security strategies that not only enable faster responses to security threats but also improve efficiency and enhance the patient experience.

Karl Vancl is director, enterprise markets, Canada, at Genetec where he and his team work closely with customers to help them design, evaluate and build digital workflows that create great experiences and unlock productivity gains. Prior to Genetec, Karl held executive sales roles at Lenel and Panasonic.

MONITORING

THE EXPERIENCE

Using surveillance technology, equipment beyond traditional security

By Paul Baratta

Telehealth visits and virtual patient monitoring are the new realities of the healthcare delivery landscape. According to data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, physicians adapted quickly to the pandemic in April 2020, with 55 per cent of patient visits, physician-to-physician consults and psychotherapy shifting to online or phone.

In this expanded model of patient care, hospitals are working smarter with available resources and adding new surveillance technologies to better protect patients. Some of the top healthcare issues today that these technologies are solving include wait

times, accessibility, staff shortages, patient experiences and cybersecurity.

By incorporating traditional and new surveillance technologies into clinical tasks, patient care processes are being optimized. Hospitals are able to observe the patient bed area with telemetry monitors known as the patient envelope. Conferencing with patients and families is easier. Staff can also expedite medical response times, especially in case of emergencies.

PRIORITIZED CARE

These days, video cameras are often

mounted to the ceiling of a patient’s room or mobile cameras are attached to intravenous therapy poles and wireless carts that allow physicians to surveil patients remotely from a central monitoring system. Video cameras may be embedded with video and audio analytics to detect signs of patient distress and alert staff.

Some facilities integrate in-room cameras with telemetry devices that monitor patients’ vital signs. Instead of relying solely on clinical data, medical staff can see patients’ physiology in real-time, which may reveal early warning signs of

a problem. This proactive approach can result in better experiences for everyone.

There are numerous ways to use surveillance solutions for care purposes. A good example is the implementation of a remote third-level monitoring system to surveil patients. Consider a room that is staffed by paramedics and contains dozens of displays that enable healthcare providers to track critical details for each patient as well as other activity in and around the hospital. The hospital boards/displays then capture and share information on an array of data, including patient vitals, medical records, the acuity score of the sickest patients, paramedic assignments, emergency department traffic, what’s transpiring at other hospitals in the area, operating room activity and capacity, and graphical mapping of ambulance locations and time of arrival.

Looking at monitors is not the same as observing patients in-person. To provide an extra level of care, hospitals can integrate network cameras into an electronic medical records system, including a series or protocols for visual observation that will protect the privacy of patients and their families.

A camera can be added in every patient room, so a logistics centre can visually evaluate how a patient is progressing. For example, with pediatric patients, a sudden spike in temperature or heart rate might indicate a life-threatening event or it could simply mean a patient is getting excited while playing a video game in bed.

When adding video monitoring to the mix, hospitals could notice a significant drop in staff racing to non-events. The technology can also help improve medical response to actual emergencies. If paramedics were able to spot a patient having a seizure just after a nurse left the room, they could send an immediate alert to the nurse and rapid response to intervene and save the patient from brain damage.

STREAMLINED RESPONSE PROTOCOLS

There are countless situations where third-level monitoring can help achieve positive outcomes for hospital patients. During pandemics, hospitals can pivot with their network cameras and video management systems to create a more touchless way of delivering patient care.

When dealing with infectious diseases or a patient with a weakened immune system, it’s critical to minimize the risk of exposure to both the patient and staff. In this case, some hospitals have introduced mobile apps through their video management system that allow physicians to do virtual rounds.

The apps give clinicians access to in-room cameras through their smartphones, laptops or computers. They can digitally zoom into the bedside monitors, look at the patient’s skin tone and see how they’re behaving. The apps can also interface with mobile cameras wheeled in on wireless carts so they can conference with the patient and their family remotely, minimizing the number of times they physically step into the room.

There are many innovative ways to use surveillance technology and equipment beyond traditional security. Whether hospitals have already implemented virtual patient observation or are now considering it, video and audio technology can act as a force multiplier now and in the future, supporting medical teams that are doing more with fewer staff and resources.

Paul Baratta is the segment development manager for healthcare for Axis Communications. In this capacity, Paul is responsible for developing strategies and building channel relationships to expand Axis’s presence in healthcare markets.

DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY

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1 Vincent, M., R.E. Duval, P. Hartemann, and M. Engels-Deutsch et al, Contact killing and antimicrobial properties of copper, Journal of Applied Microbiology, December 27, 2017; 124:1032—1046. Source of graphics: Drs. Grass, Keevil, Rensing, and Soliaz courtesy of the Copper Development Association CuVerro® and CuVerro ShieldTM are registered trademarks of Wieland North America, Inc. and are used with permission.