IWK Health Unveils New Pediatric Emergency Department in Halifax, Set to Open in 2027
Officials toured the new 32,000-square-foot pediatric emergency department at IWK Health in Halifax on Monday. The approximately $157 million project triples the current facility's footprint and is expected to open in 2027.
Officials provided a tour on Monday of the new pediatric emergency department under construction at IWK Health in Halifax. Located on the north side of the IWK Children’s Building on University Avenue, the new 32,000-square-foot space triples the footprint of the current emergency department, which opened in 1992. 
The expanded department will offer more than double the patient care spaces of the existing facility. Annual visits to the current emergency department have risen from 34,000 a few years ago to an average of more than 45,000. The new department will serve children from newborn to age 16, as well as mental health and addictions patients up to age 19.
The Government of Nova Scotia approved funding for the project in 2021, with costs projected at $127 million. Over $30 million in additional funding from the IWK Foundation brings the total price tag to approximately $157 million. The new pediatric emergency department is expected to open in 2027.
The facility includes three resuscitation rooms equipped with brand new equipment and embedded medication areas, increasing capacity from the two resuscitation rooms in the current setup. All care spaces will be fitted with modern equipment allowing for 24-hour patient monitoring. An on-site X-ray room and a CT suite adjacent to the department replace the current arrangement where these diagnostic tools are located outside the emergency department footprint. A proper decontamination suite is also included, replacing the pop-up showers currently used in the ambulance bay. Additionally, the building features Canada's first isolation room for trauma and recess cases. 
The design incorporates a playground on top of the building and was influenced by input from a patient and family advisory council, as well as youth who previously visited the emergency department. The project aims to improve efficiency, privacy, and staff retention through a new model intended to enhance patient flow and reduce wait times.
The expansion will create new jobs, including hiring at least 10 nurses, one pharmacist, and additional child lifestyle and nurse practitioners.