Seven new doctors hired at Health, Counselling and Disability Services
Health, Counselling and Disability Services (HCDS) has hired seven new doctors, HCDS Director Mike Condra said.
In Sept. 2007, the Journal reported HCDS had lost four of the physicians on its staff in the midst of a province-wide doctor shortage. This made students’ wait times for appointments significantly longer. At the time, Condra said it was especially difficult for the HCDS to attract doctors because of the many other hospitals and clinics in Kingston.
Condra said he expected the new doctors would largely alleviate the problem with wait times.
“[This] will have to have a very positive impact on the waiting periods.”
Condra said in order to make HCDS more appealing, doctors will now be charged a lower overhead rate for the use of the space. The facility also underwent a recent renovation to maximize use of doctors’ time.
“We’ve done a huge renovation on the space. … We hope that will have a positive effect on retention. … [It] allows for much more functional use of time.”
HCDS is planning to hire more doctors, Condra said.
“We are still looking for physicians. … We could use one or two more, but that’s about it.”
– Lauren Miles
Queen’s Centre starts to take shape
Students returning to campus will notice a significant difference in the once-barren space that was little more than a big hole when they left town in the spring.
Evolving from the once-empty pit, the first phase of the Queen’s Centre is starting to take shape as floors, walls, stairwells and the skeleton structure of the building are emerging.
The first of three phases, the $230-million projects will include an aquatic centre, a varsity gymnasium, a fitness and weight centre and the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies.
Vice Principal (Operations and Finance) Andrew Simpson said the main athletic centre is currently on schedule for its planned opening in 2009, but the School of Kinesiology will not be finished until about January 2010.
“We’re still hoping to be within a few months of where we intended,” he said.
The first phase of the project is still $30 to $40 million over budget, but Simpson said the university is still looking to save money on the next two phases of construction.
“As much as we’ve been saving, construction costs have been rising.”
—Jane Switzer
For construction updates and live webcam views of the Queen’s Centre, visit queensu.ca/queenscentre
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