The Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan is drawing its final plans for the maternal and children’s ward, which puts the final touches to the overall hospital design, before construction crews are expected to break ground in early 2014.

Patients and families were invited to attend an open house on Thursday, where their input will be used to “influence the final look and feel for the hospital,” explained a news release from the Saskatoon Health Region.

“I brought my kids to show them what’s going on and maybe they have some ideas that us adults haven’t thought of,” said Dawn Erker, a mother of three who has been intimately involved in the design process.

It’s important that the design goals meet both the needs of children and their families, said Erker, emphasizing that this was especially important for maternal health.

“There’s so much movement during labour, delivery and postpartum that I’m really excited that they’re building one room for the whole procedure,” said Erker of the $230 million hospital, slated to open by late 2016.

One room will mean greater continuity in care, said Erker, adding that a more holistic design will mean “patients will be more comfortable in the environment and maybe it won’t be so scary.”

The architects have really taken the traditional floor-by-floor design to create an integrated project, said Craig Ayers, project director for the Children’s Hospital.

Ayers said the shape and form of the facility is being informed by the internal operations of the hospital and what doctors will be doing on a day-to-day basis.

The next phase of the design process is scheduled to take place in September. The focus, said Ayers, will be on how each room should be set up, where vital mechanical and electrical fixtures will be located, and ensuring that the three Ps – production, preparation and process – are being followed.

“This is most intense phase of design,” said Jackie Mann, Saskatoon Health Region’s vice president of integrated health services and the executive sponsor of the Children’s Hospital, in a news release.

A design report is expected to be released in the fall, which will be followed by a review and approval process at the end of 2012.

fsuen@rawlco.com

Twitter: @fanyeesuen