Hospital department expansion eyed

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This article was published 05/01/2024 (996 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One of the most important departments at Brandon Regional Health Centre may be expanded if a study reveals it’s necessary, says Brian Schoonbaert, Prairie Mountain Health’s chief executive officer.

Schoonbaert said they are looking for a consultant that will investigate whether the space they have now in their Medical Device Reprocessing (MDR) department is sufficient to meet future medical needs.

“We have requested a feasibility study for a building renovation to the current Medical Device Reprocessing Department at BRHC. This renovated space would be used to store specialized surgical supplies,” Schoonbaert said.

Within the MDR department, all reusable medical devices and supplies are cleaned through decontamination, disinfection and sterilization while meeting accreditation and CSA safety standards.

The items include scopes, respiratory items, and surgical tools that are then reassembled, tested, and distributed to heath centres around the PMH region.

There are five MDR sites in PMH: Brandon, Dauphin, Minnedosa, Neepawa and Swan River, which provide supplies for patients in more than 40 other smaller communities.

The total renovation area is about 1,120 square feet, according to the request for proposal (RFP) document, which also includes the expansion and upgrades required to make way for two new steam sterilizers — the units that sterilize the medical devices.

The two units that were installed in 2003 at BRHC are “aging out,” said Schoonbaert, who added that “replacements are recommended.”

Aside from the RFP, construction continues to expand and renovate BRHC and the Western Manitoba Cancer Centre, which began in the fall of 2022.

Once completed, BRHC will have four storeys with a new 16-bed intensive care unit up from the current nine, 30 additional medical beds, which will bring the number up to 90 beds, plus a renovation of the existing neonatal intensive care unit with space on the fourth floor for future expansion if needed.

BRHC provides acute care, obstetrics, palliative care, emergency care and surgeries.

According to the RFP, the current space will not meet the future expansion of the BRHC surgical slate, said Schoonbaert.

“Changes will need to be made to the current operating room theatres to improve workflow in the existing space. PMH is actively engaged with the surgery department and Shared Health surgery leadership to recruit a broad range of surgical specialists. We continue planning for these needs, so we are prepared to support our full complement of surgeons (pending recruitment), including urologists,” said Schoonbaert.

Funding for the expansion going on now at BRHC is coming from the provincial government. Financial contributions have also been made by the Brandon Regional Health Care Foundation, the City of Brandon, and the municipalities of Elton, Whitehead and Cornwallis, according to PMH.

But once PMH receives the final report from a consultant about possible expansion of the MDR department, it will be used as the basis to request funding from Manitoba Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care.

The deadline for consulting firms to submit their proposals is Jan. 25, 2024.

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