New Grace ER ready for patients

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This article was published 28/05/2018 (2854 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

St. James’ Grace Hospital is now home to the province’s most up-to-date emergency department.

On May 24, the Grace unveiled the new facility, which adds 38,000 square-feet to the hospital’s footprint. The total cost of the addition was $43.8 million, and while first estimated to open in December 2017, will be open to receive patients on May 29.

Premier Brian Pallister stated at the opening that Grace’s upgrades are part of the province’s plan to improve wait times and streamline patient care.

“Here in the City of Winnipeg… we had four of the longest wait times in Canada, out of the top five hospitals,” Pallister said. “We made the commitment two years ago during our election campaign that we would address this… The emergency department is five times the size of the previous facility… and focused on one goal: better care, and sooner.”

The new ER features an open-concept design, additional assessment and treatment rooms and safe spaces for patients who are at risk of harming themselves or others. Most strikingly, the spaces are well-lit by skylights and windows, allowing patients and staff to know what time of day it is.

The larger space and increased staff are said to increase the Grace’s intake capacity by 35,000 patients per year.

The new facility is named for two of the largest community donors of the project—Edward and Marjorie Danylchuk. The couple also funded a significant portion of the MRI facility that opened at the Grace Hospital in April 2016.

The couple was approached to help kickstart the project and incentivize government funding.

“Marge said let me go to my cookie jar, and I broke up three piggybanks, and we made the commitment, and we’re very happy about it,” Edward said. “The new ER has state-of-the-art medical equipment. This will attract more doctors, improve efficiency and cut down on wait times.

“Marge and I are honoured to be part of this legacy.”

Interim CEO of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority Réal Cloutier said that the Grace ER opening signals Phase Two of the WRHA’s Healing our Health System plan.

“The opening of the Edward and Marjorie Danylchuk Centre will allow us to build on the successes already seen in Phase One, further to our efforts to consolidate services in the right locations, reducing wait times and limit need to transfer patients,” Cloutier said.

He added that in the past year, province emergency wait times have been reduced by 16 per cent.

“Change is not easy,” Pallister said at the announcement, alluding to several emergency department closure over the past year. “The changes we’re making… has caused disruption and uncertainty for many people, in particular the staff, the working people… and I want to thank them specifically for their understanding.”