MUHC warns renovations to Emergency Department of Montreal General Hospital may increase waiting times

Extensive renovations are underway to the Emergency Department at the Montreal General Hospital. These renovations are expected to take a year to complete and will result in a much-needed modernization of the ER.

This ER is a designated trauma centre and will remain fully functional during the construction. Although everything will be done to minimize inconvenience, it is possible that the renovations will be disruptive for patients, including causing longer waiting times for walk-in patients in particular.

The renovation project will increase the size of the waiting room and improve visibility and security. Additional isolation rooms will be constructed for better control of infectious diseases and a new short-stay unit will be constructed. The trauma area will be enlarged and redesigned, and the psychiatry area will be enlarged and reorganized. A new ambulance entrance will be constructed, providing ER personnel with a central triage area for both ambulance and walk-in patients.

"At the end of the day we will have a modernized ER that enables us to provide better health services to our patients," said Dr Marc Beique, Director, MUHC Adult Emergency Department. "But we can't deny that keeping day-to-day activities running smoothly will be a challenge over the construction period and we thank our patients in advance for their understanding."

Under the MUHC redevelopment plan, the MUHC will build new facilities at the Glen campus and operate a downtown hospital facility, including a trauma emergency service, at the Montreal General campus.