New Jewish General pavillion to add rooms

A $300-million expansion at Montreal's Jewish General Hospital will help reduce the spread of hospital-borne infections, official say.

The expansion, announced Friday, will add 18 new operating rooms, a variety of specialized units and will increase the hospital's capacity by one-third.

The "Pavillion K" will only have single or double-occupancy rooms.

Lynne McVey, nursing department head, said smaller rooms are "wonderful news" because fewer patients per room will help to reduce the spread of infections.

The new facilities, including isolation rooms, will also prepare the hospital to respond to any future pandemic.

"We'll be very well-positioned, and citizens will be very well-positioned to handle things in the case of a pandemic, " said Hartley Stern, the hospital's general director.

The new pavillion will also reduce wait times at the hospital, Stern said.