2020 Celebrations: WLMH – Smaller site has a big year
FEATURE STORY
Safety Couldn’t Wait: Upgrading the WLMH Operating Rooms
Take a tour of the recently upgraded West Lincoln Memorial Hospital operating rooms (OR) and endoscopy suite. Read.
West Lincoln Memorial Hospital (WLMH) has been undergoing a two-year update of its aging mechanical systems to keep the building operational until the new hospital is built.
Almost every corner of the hospital has been touched by construction this year, along with accompanying temporary changes.
OR and endoscopy renovations
Arguably the most acclaimed renovation resulted in critically needed safety upgrades in the operating rooms (ORs) and endoscopy reprocessing area. The ORs are a vital artery: if they’re not running, programs like gynecology, endoscopy, obstetrics and surgery can’t run either.
In the past, lack of proper ventilation had compromised sterile supplies needed for surgery, which posed patient safety risks. During the province-wide surgical shutdown in response to COVID, the team moved mountains to complete the essential upgrades and reopen the ORs on schedule in September. Patients are receiving care in their community again and obstetrics services are coming back in January.
New build progress
At the same time, planning toward the new hospital is moving at a rapid pace.
The year started with HHS receiving approval to start Stage 2 of the Ministry’s five-stage planning process, which brought together 150 staff and physicians from across WLMH and HHS to lend their expertise to the functional planning.
The kick-off took place on March 4 but COVID arrived in the region the next week. The team leading the new build work quickly pivoted and took the process online. Hundreds of meetings happened virtually over the ensuing months. The final Stage 2 plan was submitted to the Ministry at the end of October and the search for a design-build team is underway.
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And be sure to catch more 2020 celebration stories this month.
