PRHC New Radiation Facility

Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PHRC) delivers acute care services to more than 300,000 patients in the City and surrounding communities. The Centre had identified a need for a new Radiation Facility at the hospital campus to allow residents to receive treatment within their own community. PHRC engaged J.J. McGuire to provide General Contracting services to implement an innovative pilot facility on a fast-track schedule, which would accommodate the scheduled arrival of a Linear Accelerator purchased from another Ontario hospital.

The new, 4,000 sf Radiation Facility included a radiation suite and control room within a specialized bunker, as well as exam rooms, change rooms, waiting area, and reception area in an associated space.  The bunker was constructed with prefabricated structures that were lined with a special grade of sand to provide a shield from radiation. The facility includes a four-foot-thick door to enter the room, a four-foot-thick concrete foundation and six-foot thick lead-walls where the treatment is performed.  Access to the treatment facility was provided through a new 40-foot covered walkway and a new landscaped exterior entrance located adjacent to the new parking lot. 

The fast-track construction was carefully sequenced by the J.J. McGuire team to enable the facility to be ready to receive the equipment, which was installed after construction of the main facility. The team also ensured that operations within the existing hospital were uninterrupted, and that all infection control procedures were implemented as the team connected the new link for the radiation facility to the existing circulation at the main hospital building.  The project was delivered on schedule, and under budget.

Since its opening, the facility has served more than 2,000 patients and was able to accommodate the installation of a replacement Linear accelerator in 2020 within the existing facility.