New lab supersite open

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This article was published 22/01/2020 (2240 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new Dynacare supersite is now open and ready to serve the public six days per week.
On Mon., Jan. 13, the facility opened in the Seasons of Tuxedo area at 515 Sterling Lyon Pkwy., Units 1 and 2.

Based in Winnipeg, Dr. Jenisa Naidoo is the vice-president of clinical development and chief scientific officer for all of Dynacare, as well as the medical director for Manitoba.

She said that prior to the new build, there were 61 collection sites in Manitoba ranging from larger spaces to very small locations, with some tucked right inside doctor’s offices. The plan is to have four supersites along with 31 other collection sites across the city.

“The aim was to consolidate some of those smaller sites in different regions into one large site,” she said.

“We opened the Seasons location on Monday and then we closed locations in the radius of about five to six kilometres.”

At the new site, patients can come for blood work, and they can also drop off urine and stool samples as well as throat swabs. From there, everything is transported to the main lab, located on King Edward Street.

Doctors should receive their patients’ reports within a 24-hour timeframe, Naidoo added.

“The whole intent was to improve the patient experience and the employee experience. This is a nice modern facility with lots of light. There’s ample waiting room space, ample washrooms and extended hours. We also have a wheelchair-accessible washroom at each location, so that makes it easy for patients that have mobility issues,” she said.

“From a staff perspective, they now have more space to work in and they also have a dedicated lunchroom, as well as free parking for both the staff and the patients.”

An app called “Dynacare – Net Check In” allows patients to hold their spot in line before they even get there.

“You can book yourself in so you don’t wait when you get here. The aim is to have shorter wait times. When we were in the smaller locations, we sometimes had one chair and one employee. So if there were 20 people waiting, they all had to wait their turn. There were no other employees to take them,” Naidoo said.

“Now, even if you don’t book in, we’re adequately staffed so no one is waiting for more than about 10 minutes. We have lots of employees here on-site with nine cubicles where we can draw blood.”

Naidoo notes that Regina has a population of about 250,000 with only five Dynacare collection sites. Calgary has a population close to 1.6 million with only 18 collection sites. By contrast, Winnipeg has about 750,000 people who will have access to four supersites plus more than 30 other locations.

“When you’re building a site, you’re actually investing in the province,” Naidoo said.
“It’s a big investment — and we think it’s worth it because we’re committed to Manitoba and continually investing in our patients and employees.”

Dynacare’s new Seasons supersite is open Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.