Ontario’s First Women’s and Children’s Hospital Announced in Mississauga

Highly specialized health care services closer to home for women, children and families in Mississauga and West Toronto

Trillium Health Partners (THP) and the Government of Ontario are advancing health care and health promotion, by building Ontario’s first Women’s and Children’s Hospital. By focusing on women, children, and equity-deserving groups, THP will provide one-of-a-kind services and integrated care that will improve generational health in Mississauga and West Toronto.

THP has been on a mission to create a new kind of health care for a healthier community since being established in 2011. Today, it is one of Canada’s largest and most innovative integrated health care organizations, combining the strength and expertise of multiple hospital sites and over 15,000 people to serve one of the world’s most diverse communities. Now, THP is taking another giant leap forward by investing in the health of women, children and families and the health of the entire community by establishing the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Located within the future home of The Peter Gilgan Mississauga Hospital, this 200,000-square-foot facility will be equipped with cutting-edge technology, designed to provide the highest standards of care in Maternal and Newborn Health, Children’s Health and Women’s Health. The Women’s and Children’s Hospital will be purpose-built for families, offering an array of highly specialized services, integrated care and health system partnerships that will profoundly impact the generational health of the community, from conception, through infancy and childhood, and into all phases of adulthood.

Key features of the Women’s and Children’s Hospital include:
• A full suite of highly specialized reproductive, gynecological and children’s health services for all people, focused on reducing health inequity and nurturing diversity.
• Dedicated mental health inpatient beds for children and youth – a first for the region.
• Expert care for pregnancies and births, including those that are high-risk, with modern labour and birthing suites for parents and families.
• A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with including specially-designed couplet care suites to accommodate parents and babies staying together.
• Access to state-of-the-art surgical suites to accommodate specialized procedures closer to home.
• Family-centred care that stretches throughout all areas of the hospital and includes gender-neutral washrooms, breastfeeding areas and a dedicated paediatric zone in the emergency department.
• Excellent patient and family experience with access to highly-trained specialists.

“The new hospital will be the first-of-its-kind in Ontario, expanding and improving care for women and children from across Mississauga,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Right across the province, we’re making historic investments in health care, adding new beds and reducing wait times. We’re working to ensure everyone in Ontario has access to convenient care close to home.”

The new Women’s and Children’s Hospital will build upon the strengths of THP’s legacy regional Women’s and Children’s program to enhance THP’s wide range of services and partnerships across the health care continuum and support better health outcomes for families and communities. The new hospital will offer innovative care models and be a place that reimagines how women and children receive care to ensure the whole person is supported, while caring for complex medical and mental health conditions.

“Our government is taking bold and innovative action to connect Ontarians to the care they need, closer to home,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, “By partnering with THP to create the first-of-its-kind Women’s and Children’s Hospital, we are ensuring patients in Mississauga can have access the specialized services they need, when they need it, for years to come.”

“This is a historical announcement for THP that puts people and our community at the centre of creating a healthier future”, said THP President and CEO Karli Farrow. “Focusing on women, children and families is foundational to building a more equitable health system for all. We look forward to working with our partners and community to ensure all people, including all gender identities, feel safe and represented at this Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and at THP overall.”

“Everyone deserves better health and confidence that the health system is working for them” said Dipika Damerla, Mississauga City Councillor, Ward 7. “This announcement is a game changer in the building of a healthier, more equitable, and thriving Mississauga.”

This groundbreaking initiative, combined with state-of-the-art facilities and integration with community care and services, is expected to attract the world’s best health care providers, medical specialists, researchers, and talent to Mississauga and West Toronto. As a result, THP and the communities served will become an even more sought-after place to work, live, and raise families.

Today’s announcement builds on THP’s long-term infrastructure plan, Trillium HealthWorks, which is designed to address the rising demand for health care services in Mississauga and West Toronto. The new hospital is currently in the design phase and patients will continue to access care at THP through the emergency departments. Work is underway now to expand and improve services to create an integrated system of care for women and children that will continue deliver high quality care when construction is complete.