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Back to SearchOttawa, ON – March 24, 2021 – Today, the Government of Ontario gave the green light to construct the new 1door4care health-care hub – a pivotal moment in the care for kids, youth and families at CHEO. The 1door4care building is specifically designed as a life-changing, integrated care centre for kids and teens with special needs, medical complexity or facing mental health challenges.
Today’s budget promises the funding that will be needed to complete 1door4care, directly helping 40,000 children and youth in this region. This announcement builds on the provincial government’s previous commitment of $105M. That initial allocation allowed CHEO’s health-care providers and families to work with architects to design a space that re-imagines how to deliver integrated health care to kids and teens in our community. That work is now complete – including geotechnical analysis, functional planning, architectural drawings and more. The next step is for Infrastructure Ontario to initiate the procurement process to find a builder, with a goal of putting shovels in the ground next year. This will establish the final funding requirement for the hub. There will also be community support required, fundraising for which will be led by the CHEO Foundation.
“The pandemic has been tough on most parents but it’s been especially hard for those whose kids need the kinds of services 1door4care will include. It’s also shown that we need to invest in improving care and access to these services,” said Alex Munter, President and CEO of CHEO. “Our priority, as we look ahead to re-develop our campus, is to bring together programs from disparate, cramped and sub-standard facilities. By bringing care teams together, we will have hundreds of clinicians working together as one team to support kids with special needs, medical complexity and those facing mental health challenges.”
The 1door4care building will merge seven care locations, currently spread across Ottawa, into a single, state-of-the-art, purpose-built site on CHEO’s main campus at Smyth Road. It will include multi-use clinic space, a physiotherapy rehab gym, expanded mental health clinics, indoor and outdoor space where teachers and therapists combine education and therapy, secure space for children who have been abused, state-of-the-art treatment rooms for kids with behavioural issues, advanced technology to enable virtual care, a physical link to the main building on campus, family support spaces and more.
Families have been involved from the very beginning of this project in numerous ways: selecting the location for 1door4care in 2008; helping to develop the first functional program in 2014; creating a Family Advisory Council in 2018; and providing input on the design charter. Families will continue to be involved in the work of designing the new space and re-imagining the programs within it.
“Today’s announcement is so exciting for many families and caregivers, and especially those who have been proactively engaged in 1door4care from the initial concept more than a decade ago,” said Steve Herzog, Chair of the 1door4care Family Advisory Council. “This hub will serve and support our region’s most vulnerable children unlike ever before. Kids with complex, special needs and mental health challenges needed this win. And families and caregivers look forward to continued involvement and partnership in completing this important work.”
This project is part of the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS) Capital Budget. Most services in 1door4care are funded by MCCSS and it also includes programs of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and City of Ottawa. The 1door4care hub will enable CHEO and its partners in the new space to change service delivery models for children and youth with complex physical, behavioural and mental health needs, resulting in:
- faster access to care, less wait time
- coordinated visits with multiple care providers
- integrated services so families don’t have to keep repeating their stories
- increased peer support for parents and families
- modern, purpose-built spaces for kids with disabilities
- access to Emergency care, security, food services and everything the main campus offers
Additional quotes:
“Families have been instrumental in the design and vision of 1door4care. It’s not just about a building, it’s about centering care around a family. To see it come to life is such wonderful recognition of their voice and contribution. They’ve been heard. I can already imagine parents and kids feeling welcomed, safe, and supported in this new space, with a holistic team of caring people wrapping around them. What a gift to create a place like this for families.”
Elyse Schipper, Executive Director, PLEO – Parents’ Lifeline
“Children and youth supported by the Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa often face a variety of barriers requiring specialized services and support. CHEO’s new 1door4care health-hub will improve access to critical services through a coordinated delivery model, prioritizing the needs of our community’s most vulnerable.”
Kelly Raymond, Executive Director of the Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa
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Media contact
media@cheo.on.ca
About CHEO
Based in Canada’s capital, CHEO is a globally renowned health institution with a mission to provide exceptional care and support to children, youth and their families. Opening our doors in 1974, we offer a full range of specialized pediatric care and services to children from eastern and northern Ontario, western Quebec and Nunavut. Our site is home to a hospital, a children’s treatment centre, a school, a research institute, and is affiliated with the University of Ottawa as an academic health science centre. Named Canada’s best health-care employer by Forbes in 2024, we are home to more than 6,500 staff, clinicians, scientists and researchers, as well as volunteers – all of whom work together to help children and youth achieve their best lives.
