In April 2018, we have a new space opening at Providence Healthcare that’s going to help keep us at the forefront of rehabilitation, complex continuing care and palliative care while meeting the growing need for continuous professional development, research, and healthcare innovation.

“The pace of change in health care is extraordinary. The future of bedside care is vastly different than what it is today,” says Maggie Bruneau, vice-president Clinical Programs and chief nursing executive at Providence. “We know that we must invest in our greatest asset, our people, if we are to provide the best care experience to our patients, residents and clients.”

Introducing our Knowledge Centre – a state-of-the-art education and research learning environment for our 1,200 professional staff, 350 volunteers and 200 students and medical residents who come to Providence every year to train and further their education.

The around-the-clock space offers advanced technology, tools and resources designed to provide Providence staff with traditional and electronic learning opportunities. It also features areas to practice new techniques and procedures in a simulated setting; clinical labs for hands-on training; and collaboration spaces for research, quality control, performance measurement and ethics. At the heart of the Centre is a new Central Library, consolidating the various resource areas (libraries) scattered throughout the organization.

“This Knowledge Centre is going to allow for new research findings to be quickly translated into clinical practice and it will help to foster innovations, making better use of our limited healthcare resources,” explains Dr. Peter Nord, vice-president, chief medical officer for Providence. “We’ll be able to provide resources and infrastructure, which, in turn, will help us with employee recruitment and retention, leadership development and succession planning and education.”

The Knowledge Centre is being 100% funded by private donors through Providence Healthcare Foundation’s Hope Starts Here campaign.