MEDICINE HAT, AB — The new wing of the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital is slowly starting to open to the public, beginning with patient services and registration.
The project is over budget and is taking longer than anticipated to complete.
A sod turning for the expansion was held on September 15, 2011.
The expansion at that time was expected to cost $200 million, but a labour shortage and increased cost of building materials drove the price up to $267 million.
The keys were originally supposed to be handed over to Alberta Health Services in 2015, but there is still some ongoing construction.
Patient services and registration officially opened in the new wing on Monday April 3rd.
Anyone going to the hospital for scheduled appointments, or procedures will have to register there first.
The most convenient access point is through the new main entrance facing 6th Avenue SW, but it can still be accessed through the former main entrance on the east side of the building.
There are signs posted to help direct people to the registration desk.
Karen Carlson, Director, Health Information Management for the south zone, said this area will be more efficient for patients to get checked in.
“It’s also much more confidential for the patients [due to] the set-up of this,” said Carlson. “Behind the scenes, our staff are much more able to process registrations quickly so that the patients get to where they need to go quickly.”
As for the other departments that will be calling the new wing home, hospital officials say that transition is still expected to take several more months.
There is still some construction happening as crews make adjustments to the air intake and output systems.
Departments will not be moved until that is completely finished to ensure illnesses can’t be spread through the HVAC system.
AHS said when the departments do move it will also likely involve several weeks of equipment calibration and testing to ensure all the systems are working correctly.
Endoscopy, the cancer clinic and kidney care services will be the next departments to move.
Construction is then expected to begin on the Emergency Room expansion in mid-April.
The ER will be expanded to around three times its current size.
Linda Tessmann-Potvin, director of surgical services and ambulatory care, said the goal is to improve patient wait times and experiences in the ER.
“We are adding more emergency room treatment areas so we are hoping to improve the patient flow,” said Tessmann-Potvin. “Right now we have patients being treated in some cubicals, the cubical sizes will for sure be increased in the new emergency department.”
Tessmann-Potvin says the hope is the ER expansion will open sometime in 2019.
