As jack-hammering can be heard around the area where the temporary dialysis unit will be housed at La Verendrye hospital here, Riverside CEO Wayne Woods said work is proceeding on schedule.
“It’s going fine. They’ve had to tear up the floor and will be installing a new drain system for the unit,” he said Tuesday
Work there started at the beginning of last month, and has been going steady since, added Woods.
Most of the work so far has been superficial, whether it be on the walls, or some millwork, such as cabinets and a nurses’ station, which is being done at a different site than the unit and will be moved in closer to its completion date.
The unit could be completed in the next month or two but as previously reported in the April 4 edition of the Times, it won’t likely be operational until possibly September.
“The patients need to understand we’re trying to establish efficient and safe care–there’s no room for mistakes,” noted Dr. Bill McCready of Thunder Bay Regional Hospital.
“We’re not going to settle for a sub-standard dialysis unit,” he stressed.
The unit here is considered a satellite of the one there, and Dr. McCready assured that staffing must be up to par. He previously had said training them could take up to three months.
But Woods noted while he hasn’t heard if the September date still is Dr. McCready’s plan, he is aware that some hiring of nurses has taken place in Thunder Bay.
Once operational, up to 24 district patients will benefit from the dialysis unit. Woods has said he knows of about 20 in need of its services.
The unit is made possible through government funding as well as money raised by the Aboriginal Dialysis Unit Initiative and Riverside Foundation for Health Care’s “Care Close to Home” campaign.
In related news, work has yet to get started on the latest phase of renovations planned at La Verendrye, which will cost around $8 million.
“Our architects are in town Thursday, and they’ll working more on the plans here,” noted Woods.
“We’re also still waiting on the final word for approval of the plans since we’ve last submitted them to the ministry [of health]. But, hopefully, we’ll get underway by the fall or late summer,” he added.
The extensive overhaul includes a new wing on the south side of the building, which will house the permanent dialysis unit and labs. Woods said this will be the first part of the building where work will be done.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
