CHU Sainte-Justine

CHU Sainte-Justine is a mother-and-child university hospital centre in Montréal, Québec. It is affiliated with Université de Montréal and serves as a regional and provincial reference in pediatrics, obstetrics, neonatal care, rehabilitation, health promotion and research. Its mandate includes both highly specialized care and community-oriented services.

Capacity & Clinical Excellence

• Beds: approximately 484 beds, including those at the Centre de réadaptation Marie-Enfant (pediatric rehabilitation).
• Neonatal intensive care: the NICU has about 65 beds (27 intensive care + 38 intermediate care) and treats over 1,100 infants per year; it handles prematurity, congenital defects, infections, asphyxia etc.
• Tertiary/pre-tertiary services: all major pediatric specialties, including surgery (neurosurgery, cardiac, transplant etc.), obstetrics, maternal-fetal medicine, oncology, metabolic disorders, infectious and immune diseases.

Research & Teaching

• Strong research profile: the hospital includes a dedicated research centre with nearly 300 researchers; it is a site for early-stage clinical trials, translational research and innovations.
• Teaching mission: trains several thousand students, interns, residents, fellows in pediatrics, newborn care, obstetrical care etc., and is a key teaching hospital in Québec.

Patient & Family Services

• Care & services cover everything from inpatient care, outpatient clinics, emergency care, neonatal and prenatal care to rehabilitation and developmental follow-ups.
• Family support, visiting hours, maps, transportation access are provided; supports for users’ rights.

Major Projects & Infrastructure

• The “Growing Up Healthy / Grandir en Santé” modernization project expanded capacity, modernized buildings, added research infrastructure.
• Expansion includes a specialized care units building, diagnostic/therapeutic platforms, imaging, operating theatres, neonatal units, etc.

Strengths & Challenges

Strengths:

• High level of specialization and reputation in pediatric and neonatal care.
• Integrated research & teaching which ensures up-to-date care and innovation.
• Comprehensive mother-child services concentrated in a major centre provide efficiency and shared expertise.

Challenges:

• Being a large specialized hospital, wait times for non-urgent care and specialist referrals likely exist.
• Infrastructure demands and modernization projects imply disruption or phased facility limitations.
• For families travelling from remote areas, access (travel, lodging) may be burdensome.