Work has started on the redevelopment of the Arrow Lakes Hospital, but there shouldn’t be any impact on the public’s use of the building, says the hospital’s interim manager.
“There’s nothing different, you come into the hospital in the same way, reception is in the same place,” says Jane Power. “All the work is happening in the old operating theatre area behind the emergency department.
“All those services are the same, we’re just a little cramped around the lab, other than that patients wouldn’t see much difference at all.”
Crews started construction on $2.1 million in improvements to the emergency department at Arrow Lakes Hospital on April 22.
“So far as inconvenience for us, it hasn’t been inconvenient at all,” says Power. “One of the inpatient rooms is also being redone in this first phase, so we’re down one, but we have an overflow room we will use in its stead, so no inconvenience to the public at all.”
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Highlights of the project will include a dedicated triage area; two new trauma bays; renovated patient exam bays to improve privacy; new utility rooms; and an enclosed multi-purpose meeting room near the ED for family consultations or waiting space for family during trauma situations.
Creston-based T.A. Rendek and Associates Ltd. is overseeing the construction, with project completion anticipated for this winter. Work will take place in phases to ensure ongoing care is provided at the site.
This current phase is expected to be complete by December, says Power.
The project is being funded by the Province of BC through the Ministry of Health and the West Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital District.
The scope of the project was determined through an initial planning and assessment phase funded by the hospital district, which included direct input from the hospital staff and physicians.