After years of anticipation and hard work, not to mention traffic and parking chaos, the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke will inaugurate the new wing of the Hotel Dieu today.
On hand for the official launch of the multi-million expansion this morning will be a who’s who of regional politics and heath care including Premier Jean Charest, the MNA for Sherbrooke, and St-François MNA Monique Gagnon-Tremblay.
The duo were on hand two years ago for the official sod turning for the expansion which was slated to cost $112 million and be completed by 2009.
Not only was the building delivered on budget, it was actually completed ahead of schedule, say hospital officials, who were keeping details a closely guarded secret until today’s launch.

The modern wing cost $60 million to build. The rest of the investment is on equipment and fittings for the new wing.
The newly completed expansion will soon improve access to health care for the population and greatly improve the quality of care and the environment in which it is offered.
“It’s a beautiful extension that will add to our hospital services and it will make life a lot more comfortable for our patients on every floor from the Emergency room on up,” CHUS board member Marjorie Goodfellow told the Record. 
The new building increases the floor space at the Hotel Dieu by 40 per cent, adding some 20,000 square meters on eight floors.
Goodfellow said one of the main goals of the expansion was to eliminate wards and move to more private and semi-private rooms. Thanks to the new construction, the CHUS will have 48 additional beds, bringing the total to some 347 rooms including 140 private and 67 semi-private hospital rooms.
The wing also includes a brand new Emergency Room with 24 additional stretchers; double the space for outpatient clinics with 46 rooms for surgical and medical specialties; as well as five new stretchers for day surgery and a half dozen new beds for day medicine.
The expansion also provides more room for medical faculty, students and researchers in an avant-garde teaching and research environment.
In additional, the new wing takes into account principles of sustainable development. Many measures are being taken to ensure the building is ecologically friendly and energy efficient. That includes better water resource management to diminish the amount of water sent to Sherbrooke sewage treatment plant;  increased energy efficiency including a more efficient heating system using combustion gases from the current furnace as well as electronic thermostats in every room.
The new wing also provides a healthy and stimulating environment through the maximum use of natural light, more efficient ventilation, and the inclusion of an inside courtyard and rooftop garden for patients, visitors and staff.
The population is invited to visit the new installation this weekend. Guided tours will take place every hour between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Visitors will be able to get diabetes and cholesterol screening tests, get their blood pressure checked, and receive information about breast cancer, mental health, the hospital foundation, as well as research, teaching and recruitment at the CHUS.

By Rita Legault
Sherbrooke