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This article was published 24/12/2018 (2557 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Arlene Buchberger appears right at home in the new community intravenous program clinic at the Misericordia Health Centre. She’s been coming to the clinic twice a day for the last three weeks to treat an infection in her toe.
“It helps a lot, there’s still pain but not as much as when I first got it,” she said while reclining in a treatment chair and flipping through a celebrity gossip magazine.
The IV clinic, which opened in November in Misericordia’s former urgent care centre, is a consolidation of services previously offered at Lions Place and Access Transcona.
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s community IV program has been running for 30 years and currently serves more than 2,300 clients who, like Buchberger, require antibiotic therapy but are well enough to be discharged from hospital.
“It’s wonderful,” said Buchberger, who lives downtown. “It’s easy to access, it’s very clean, the nurses are very helpful.”
Gina Trinidad, WRHA chief health operations officer, said the community IV program has seen a 40 per cent increase in client demand over the last four years because of its flexibility. Clients can receive infusions at the clinic or through home care services.
“We want to ensure that there is patient flow through our hospitals, so where we can provide services safely in the community we want to be able to do that or in clinics like this,” she said.
The move to bring the IV program under one roof is part of the provincial government’s larger initiative to streamline healthcare services in Manitoba.
Health, seniors and active living minister Cameron Friesen said the decision to create a hub at Misericordia came down to cost and location.
“Lions Place was getting to be a tired space,” he said. “It was going to need some very significant investments even if the decision had been to continue to operate a second campus.”
The new clinic at the Misericordia has 10 treatment stations, more exam rooms and clinic space for physician appointments.
The program also benefits from access to the health centre’s diagnostic imaging and lab services and is close to infectious disease clinics where most referrals come from.
“You’re now consolidating all those clinicians, all of that staff on one site adjacent to other medical services,” Friesen said, adding that there were no job losses as a result of the relocation.
Roughly 100 infectious disease physicians, nurses, pharmacists and administrative staff are now consolidated at the Misericordia.
The IV program will maintain a satellite infusion clinic at Access Transcona.
Arlene Buchberger appears right at home in the new community intravenous program clinic at the Misericordia Health Centre. She’s been coming to the clinic twice a day for the last three weeks to treat an infection in her toe.
“It helps a lot, there’s still pain but not as much as when I first got it,” she said while reclining in a treatment chair and flipping through a celebrity gossip magazine.
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living Cameron Friesen unveiled the Misericordia Health Centre's new community intravenous clinic on Dec. 18.
The IV clinic, which opened in November in Misericordia’s former urgent care centre, is a consolidation of services previously offered at Lions Place and Access Transcona.
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s community IV program has been running for 30 years and currently serves more than 2,300 clients who, like Buchberger, require antibiotic therapy but are well enough to be discharged from hospital.
“It’s wonderful,” said Buchberger, who lives downtown. “It’s easy to access, it’s very clean, the nurses are very helpful.”
Gina Trinidad, WRHA chief health operations officer, said the community IV program has seen a 40 per cent increase in client demand over the last four years because of its flexibility. Clients can receive infusions at the clinic or through home care services.
“We want to ensure that there is patient flow through our hospitals, so where we can provide services safely in the community we want to be able to do that or in clinics like this,” she said.
The move to bring the IV program under one roof is part of the provincial government’s larger initiative to streamline healthcare services in Manitoba.
Health, seniors and active living minister Cameron Friesen said the decision to create a hub at Misericordia came down to cost and location.
“Lions Place was getting to be a tired space,” he said. “It was going to need some very significant investments even if the decision had been to continue to operate a second campus.”
Photo by Eva Wasney
Arlene Buchberger gets an antibiotic infusion at the Misericordia Health Centre’s new community intravenous clinic on Dec. 18.
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The new clinic at the Misericordia has 10 treatment stations, more exam rooms and clinic space for physician appointments.
The program also benefits from access to the health centre’s diagnostic imaging and lab services and is close to infectious disease clinics where most referrals come from.
“You’re now consolidating all those clinicians, all of that staff on one site adjacent to other medical services,” Friesen said, adding that there were no job losses as a result of the relocation.
Roughly 100 infectious disease physicians, nurses, pharmacists and administrative staff are now consolidated at the Misericordia.
The IV program will maintain a satellite infusion clinic at Access Transcona.
