As construction on our new hospital begins, West Park is hard at work to ensure our current facilities continue to operate at an optimal level. Perhaps the best example of this is the new Main Building entrance.
Located where the Martin Family Lounge and Gardenview – also known as the Piano Lounge - used to live, the new main entrance will be the new, temporary face of West Park for patients, staff, and visitors as they enter the main building for the next four years.
The current entrance, located at the front of the main building next to the Enbridge Auditorium, will close at 6 a.m on Wednesday, Dec. 11, with the new entrance opening on the same day. Patients, staff, and visitors will only be able to access the main building through the new entrance at the east end of the building.
“The opening of the new entrance will usher in a flurry of major changes on campus over the next few weeks and into the New Year,” says Lijeanne Lee, Communications Coordinator for Campus Development. “It’s going to be a big adjustment for everyone. Once the campus is set for construction for the new hospital, there will be less change.”
With hoarding going across the campus in the coming weeks, major changes to how staff, patients, and visitors access West Park will take effect. The ‘flurry of changes’ will include changes to access routes, staff and visitors parking, as well as setting the stage for the “Big Dig,” which will kick off the official building of the new hospital on what we now consider the front of the campus.
Staff are encouraged to continue to monitor construction alerts in the coming weeks and months to be prepared for the many changes that lie ahead. The reconfiguration of the campus will require patience and adaptability from everyone who uses and frequents West Park, as many changes will disrupt routines.
While change is often difficult to deal with, the anticipation and excitement of the new hospital that’s set to open in 2023 will hopefully overshadow any uneasiness about adapting for what’s to come.
See a map of the relocation and its impacts