Riverside CEO looks forward into 2000

As Riverside Health Care Facilities Inc. entered 2000 without the “Y2K” bug in sight, CEO Wayne Woods is now focusing on the $4.5 million in renovations to La Verendrye hospital as the “big news” in the new year.
“We still have to go through a process where we draw up the plans and submit them to the Ministry [of Health] but if everything goes well, it will go up for tender in March,” he said, adding work could start by April.
The renovations, which Riverside has been working towards for several years, include improvements to the operating rooms, diagnostic imaging area, emergency, and out-patient areas.
Besides remodelling the interior, Woods noted the size of the hospital itself eventually could grow.
“We’re proposing an expansion on the south side–basically ‘bumping’ the building to accommodate the work on the inside,” he explained.
He added this would tie in with the building’s new front entrance and physiotherapy area, as originally planned when that portion was built in the fall of 1998.
Woods also noted they already are planning for any possible disruptions to health care services during the renovations.
“The construction shouldn’t have any effect on service. We’ll try to use a phased approach, and keep things running as smooth as possible,” he said.
Construction should take 12-18 months, after which Woods felt things should be “business as usual.”
Another facility to see more than $2.5 million in renovations this year will be the Emo Health Care Centre, where changes are being made to accommodate 12 long-term care and three acute care beds.
Changes will include everything from air exchange systems to window placement.
“We’re still waiting on that. We got the approval but we still have a lot to do, such as sitting down with the architects,” said Director of Services Norma Elliott.
Administration already has gotten “user input” from doctors and staff on two occasions so far.
“That’s a very important process. They work there so they know what’s best, such as where to put a light or where a plug-in would work best,” noted Elliott.
Changes have been made to preliminary plans accordingly but, like La Verendrye, the final plans have yet to be submitted to the ministry.
Woods hoped to get renovations started at Emo by May or June.