The Northeast Mental Health Centre (NEMHC) and North Bay General Hospital (NBGH) have partnered to create the new North Bay Regional Health Centre, a state-of-the-art facility that will care for generations. For the first time in Canada, an acute hospital and specialized mental health centre will be located on the same site.
The NEMHC section has been designed as a two-storey facility that reflects a home-like, village environment.
NEMHC will be connected to NBGH via a shared entrance and a number of shared common areas. Uniting the two facilities will encourage the interaction necessary to help break down the misconceptions about mental illness.
The new NEMHC will serve the whole of northeast Ontario, and accommodate:
- 52 forensic psychiatry beds including state-of-the-art security systems that are unobtrusive yet safe for patients, staff and the public
- 61 specialized mental health beds with secure courtyard access for each inpatient unit
- A client services mall, gymnasium and workshops
- Psychiatric offices
- Clinical and administrative spaces
- Outreach services
(NEMHC roadside view)
(NEMHC close up from outside)
(future cafeteria section)
The design is based on a best-practice psychosocial model with the necessary therapeutic and amenity support services required for rehabilitation and support for re-entry to the community. The inpatient units or "lodges" are interconnected through a corridor system that creates secure inner courtyards, forming the village environment.
The Site
The new facility is situated in a natural environment at the foot of a scenic escarpment. Its close proximity to Nipissing University and Canadore College will help foster a link between medicine and education that will facilitate more training opportunities and enhance the appeal of all institutions involved.
(whole site facing east)
Bordering College Drive to the east and HWY 17 to the south, the new facility will be located amidst lush greenery, adjacent to the city's highway corridor and along a main local transit route.
(glass archway entrance) (ductwork inside hospital)
(brickwork on pod) (glass and brickwork)
The large, 80 acre lot enabled the facility to be designed as a low rise, campus-style development with ample parking and easy access points. The sloping nature of the site has also allowed for all of the "lodges" to be built at grade level for ease of access to the outdoors.
Construction is 99% complete and is expected to be ready for occupancy by January 30, 2011. To view the construction progress via webcam, visit northbay.plenaryprojects.com/webcams.html.
(NEMHC close up from outside)
(NEMHC close up from outside)
(forensic courtyard)
Sources: Plenary Health & North Bay General Hospital.
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