By Angela Brown

New Saskatchewan Hospital shines in Thursday’s tour

Oct 19, 2018 | 10:37 AM

The media attended the brand new Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford for a tour of the sparkling new facility.

Vikki Smart, executive director for primary health care northwest, said prior to construction, patients provided their input on their requests.

“They wanted light,” Smart said. “The old building is dark. So you see as you walk through today, there is sunlight coming into every room.”

Smart said one of the problems patients had with the old building was it was either too hot or too cold — another issue addressed in the new building.

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“When patients actually share rooms, some people like it hot, some like it cold,” she said. “So now in every room, they have the ability to somewhat adjust their temperature. And throughout the building it is temperature-adjusted.”

Smart said patients also asked for more privacy, so now they have private rooms so they can enjoy a better quality of life during their stay.

The entire building was set up to be therapeutic for everyone, she added. Throughout the hospital, each separate location is identified with a descriptive name, such as Prairie View or River View, to help patients find their way throughout the facility easily and without confusion.

“Those are the kinds of things that are really important for people,” Smart said. The hospital has 248 beds total with 96 reserved in a secure wing for corrections offenders living with mental health issues. Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford Director Linda Shynkaruk said a great deal of thought went into every detail of the new hospital, including the names of each wing.

“We are absolutely ecstatic with the results from this facility,” she said. “We’re going to be able to provide a second-to-none service for our patients. The patients are excited about coming in here as well as the staff. The excitement is truly building.”

The new hospital also features more services and amenities for patients that weren’t available in the existing hospital that’s over 100 years old. Some of the services available include specialized therapy areas, as well as an Internet café, and education and business centres. There is also a cafeteria and a large dining area as well as courtyard areas. The facility also boasts a gymnasium and multi-use space as well as a healthcare clinic.

Shynkaruk said the new hospital also can better provide for safe patient care as it has improved sightlines for staff compared to the old facility. The new hospital will have a staff count of over 550 people.

The new facility also offers all patient programs under one roof to make everything more accessible.

“It’s so exciting for us and our patients to be able to access programs now,” Shynkaruk said. The new hospital is currently about 97 per cent complete. Derek Miller, executive director of infrastructure management for the Saskatchewan Health Authority, said there are still a few final details to finish for the project.

“They should be wrapping up by late November so we can follow along with our moving in of our patients,” he said.

He added the new furnishings and equipment also still need to be installed. Miller added the project is on budget for the province. The construction cost for the project for the province was estimated at $222 million. The full value of the building contract is about $407 million, which includes the maintenance of the facility for the next 30 years, as part of the P3 public-private partnership agreement.

angela.brown@jpbg.ca On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW