a healthcare hub A healthcare hub for all By Christopher Guly When it opened in Toronto in June, the Bridgepoint Healthcare Centre became the largest facility <strong>of</strong> its kind in <strong>Canada</strong> focused on the rehabilitation and treatment <strong>of</strong> patients living with complex health conditions. Now, one <strong>of</strong> the architects involved in its design believes the 464-bed, 10-storey hospital could serve as an important component <strong>of</strong> a holistic health-and-wellness system <strong>of</strong> community care never before seen in this country. www.raic.org / 2014 Greg Colucci, MRAIC, a principal with Toronto-based Diamond Schmitt Architects, envisions a model that would provide urban, suburban and rural residents with access to treatment, care and prevention on one campus—and Bridgepoint, which was designed by a consortium <strong>of</strong> architects from Stantec, KPMB Architects, HDR <strong>Architecture</strong> and Diamond Schmitt—satisfies some <strong>of</strong> his wish list in providing ambulatory care as well as complex continuing care and rehabilitation services that incorporate elements <strong>of</strong> prevention and treatment. The 63,000-square-metre facility also happens to sit on a plot <strong>of</strong> land where three other sites have been identified for future development over the next decade. Were Colucci to realize his dream, such an area could consist <strong>of</strong> other elements, such as centres for cancer care and mental health, a medical clinic, a long-term care facility, an assisted living retirement home, a guest house for respite, a fitness and community centre, a learning resource centre and possibly even space for life-sciences research. This healthcare constellation could also include food markets and cafés. “Imagine a place where you could go to your family doctor, then drop your kids <strong>of</strong>f at a fitness centre while you search for information about healthy living at a library,” said Colucci. “You then pick up Grandma at the retirement home and take the family grocery shopping followed by lunch—all at the same location, whether it’s in a major city or a rural environment.” He presented the idea <strong>of</strong> such a fully integrated campus <strong>of</strong> care at the 2013 International Union <strong>of</strong> Architects Public Health Group Forum and Global University Programs in Healthcare <strong>Architecture</strong> Meeting at IIDEX 2013 in Toronto, presented by RAIC. “At one end, you would have a site for treatment, whether it’s through long-term care or rehabilitation services. At the other end, you would focus on prevention, such as through a learning resource centre or fitness facility,” explained Colucci in an interview. “Ambulatory care would straddle both sides in providing people with access to primary care and minor day-hospital procedures.” The question that confounds him is why such a one-stop healthcare complex has not been established in <strong>Canada</strong>. Similar treatment-andprevention models exist in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Scandinavia. “It doesn’t have to be a physical collection <strong>of</strong> buildings,” said Colucci. “It just has to be a mindset that has all these entities talking to one another to Photos: Tom Arban 22 ■ <strong>Architecture</strong> <strong>Canada</strong>
A healthcare hub www.raic.org / 2014 <strong>Architecture</strong> canada ■ 23