Shuswap hospital redevelopment is done

An official ribbon-cutting ceremony marks completion of the 3-year hospital redevelopment project. Pictured are (L to R) Rhona Martin Chair NOCSRHD, Marty Bootsma Mayor Salmon Arm, George Abbott MLA Shuswap, Scott McKee Chief of Staff SLGH, Eugene Casavant President SLGH Foundation. (Photo courtesy of Interior Health)

Shuswap MLA George Abbott and various officials assembled at Shuswap Lake General Hospital (SLGH) on Friday, May 14, 2010 to celebrate the completion of the $24 million hospital redevelopment.

Mr. Abbott, in his message, told the group that the celebration was about the many state-of-the-art improvements that will offer increased access and improved care for Shuswap residents. “We are proud that the province is making similar investments to modernize and upgrade hospitals and health-care facilities across the province”, said Mr. Abbott.

The scope of the redevelopment of the hospital was huge and it has been a long process from the groundbreaking in 2007 to the day of completion. But finally, Shuswap area residents are going to be receiving the benefits of the improvements.

The emergency department has doubled in size to 1,023 square metres, providing a central nursing station with improved work flow, visibility and more privacy for patients. An airborne isolation room, additional patient washrooms and handwashing sinks will improve the ability to control infection. There are specialized rooms for women’s care, decontamination, psychiatric care, pediatrics, ear/nose/throat and trauma. A separate entrance for paramedics will allow more privacy for patients entering the hospital by ambulance.

Following the ribbon cutting, tours of the redeveloped areas included a look at the new CT scanner purchased through the support of the hospital foundation and the generous community. (Photo courtesy Interior Health)

The diagnostic imaging department has increased by nearly three times the space and physiotherapy has a larger and brighter area, designed and built especially for the purpose. The lighting, mechanical and electrical systems have been upgraded as well. A geothermal system will now help with the heating and cooling of the hospital, and glare control for exterior lighting will reduce light pollution. Daylight sensors in inactive rooms will reduce energy costs overall.

No longer in the old Pavilion, the pharmacy is now housed in a renovated space that is nearly double the size of the former department. Also moved from the old Pavilion are the lab as well as the dietician’s and diabetes education offices, which are now located on the hospital’s fifth floor.

Interior Health board chair Norman Embree, said, “We now have a newly redeveloped facility here to ensure we continue to provide the best patient care possible while meeting the daily demands of a busy hospital.”

The funding for the project was provided as follows:

• Province of British Columbia, through capital dollars provided to Interior Health, contributed $13.6 million

• The North Okanagan/Columbia Shuswap Regional Hospital District provided $9.6 million

• The Shuswap Hospital Foundation, through the generous support of the community contributed $1.5 million toward the purchase of a new CT scanner, ultrasound unit and other equipment.

• The Foundation has also pledged $620,000 toward the CT scanner’s service agreement.

“We are here today to celebrate a greatly improved facility, one that has been carefully redesigned and rebuilt to better serve this region’s residents now and for years to come,” said Rhona Martin, North Okanagan/Columbia Shuswap Regional Hospital District chair.