It has been a tough start to 2019 for CONNECT Hamilton’s construction timeline, but a delayed opening seems to be the only blemish on an otherwise shiny outlook for CONNECT’s third site.
Tough winter weather in Ontario coupled with serious delays and setbacks with the City of Hamilton has the project timeline pushed to this Summer.
“We have been working hard to manage controllables,” says John Sherwood, CONNECT CEO. “We are keeping pressure on the construction team and the City of Hamilton. We sincerely regret these delays and are focusing on the new timeline and integrating the many moving parts of this project. Other than the timeline, everything else is going smoothly and spirits are high.”
Collaborative monthly meetings between CONNECT and HHS continue. The advisory committee is preparing for everything from move-in criteria, move-out flow, patient and staff education of CONNECT, performance measures and more.
CONNECT interviewed for its Hamilton Leader in January and happily announced the hiring of Jamie Curran into that role, starting April 2. Jamie spent most of the past two weeks being orientated in Lake Country, Vancouver and Langley.
Interviews for all professional coach positions are scheduled in Hamilton for May. More than 50 interviews are lined up.
“The response to our job postings for CONNECT Hamilton has been overwhelming,” says CONNECT Director of Culture, People and Services Karen Tims. “It’s really humbling to see such intense interest from that community.”
Patti Flaherty, CONNECT President and COO, who is currently based in Hamilton to oversee the project, was on site April 13 with John to guide a tour of the building. In attendance at the tour was Teresa Smith, HHS VP Adult Regional Care and Executive Site Lead, Hamilton General Hospital, and two representatives from the HNHB LHIN, including Donna Cripps, CEO, and Rosalind Tarrant, VP Health System Strategy and Integration.
“The welcome we have felt in Hamilton, the support of our partners and the optimism and excitement of the community has been beyond expectations,” says Patti. “The delay in opening is disappointing, but these things are out of our control. We just adjust the timeline for all of the other project deliverables. It’s really exciting to see the building coming together and to keep things moving.”