The town of Ste. Anne and communities in the surrounding area will soon benefit from a multi-million-dollar expansion and renovation to the Ste. Anne hospital. This announcement was made by Health Minister Theresa Oswald.
“The Ste. Anne Hospital plays a critical role in providing services to the ever-growing population of the southeast area,” said Oswald. “This hospital expansion will deliver more health services closer to home for patients and families in the community.”
The construction and renovation is expected to start in the coming weeks.
“Once completed, the hospital will be able to offer more surgical services; we expect to see more than four times as many surgical procedures, up to over 2,000 from 450, by 2014,” Oswald said. “This increase will give area residents the help they need sooner without needing to leave their community.”
The hospital’s square footage will increase by 60 per cent. New facilities will include two rooms for surgeries, one room for scope procedures, a dedicated and adjoining post-anesthesia care unit, a suite of medical device reprocessing rooms for cleaning and sterilizing of all reusable hospital items, a family room, staff change rooms, and new electrical and mechanical space.
Another one-third of the hospital will undergo renovation including the existing operating rooms, which will be renovated and converted to provide 5,800 square feet of additional staff support areas.
“This visionary project solidifies the great partnership between the regional health authority, the community and the provincial government,” said Guy Lévesque, board chair, Ste. Anne Hospital. “This new surgical centre will not only serve the people of our region, but the rest of the province as well.”
The project is expected to cost $14.1 million, which includes a 10 per cent contribution from the Ste. Anne Hospital Foundation.
“Our foundation has worked with the regional health authority to raise money for many important projects,” said Cecile Dumesnil, chair, Ste. Anne Hospital Foundation. “This is yet another example of how we can work together to serve and improve our community.”
“Many community members have done much to support this hospital, which offers critically important health services to families across our region,” Local Government Minister Ron Lemieux said. “They should also be commended for their sustained efforts and vision.”
Oswald noted the redevelopment fulfills the government’s promise to increase the hospital’s operating capacity and double the number of operations and diagnostic tests performed annually. It will also allow for the repatriation of some surgical procedures from Steinbach and Winnipeg, which will provide care closer to patients’ homes.
She said the project will achieve Manitoba’s green building and sustainability objectives. Construction is scheduled for completion by December 2012.
