Blake Ellis/Local Journalism Initiative

The emergency department and the diagnostic imaging unit will be the focus of the second phase in the development of the Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital.

The Stage 2 Functional Plan was approved by the Bluewater Health board of directors at its November meeting and submitted to the Ministry of Health, said Bluewater Health President and CEO Mike Lapaine in his report at the Bluewater Health annual general meeting on June 22.

The first phase work is continuing to upgrade patient rooms in the acute care unit. Two of the acute care rooms were completed in the summer of 2021.

Renovations are being done in two room blocks so patient care is not disrupted.
The current patient rooms in the acute care unit are semi-private and bathrooms are shared. There is also no shower in the bathrooms and the rooms did not meet accessibility standards.

The newly renovated rooms are private, with each having a private bathroom equipped with a shower. The bathrooms also have a walker or wheelchair access.

When the renovations are completed in the unit, one of the rooms will be dedicated to palliative care while another will be a ward-room.

Lapaine told people at the online annual general meeting June 23 that there has also been electrical and boiler plant upgrades at the hospital as part of the first phase.

There was some good news on the fundraising side.

The CEEH Foundation received $403,954 from the Dream Home Lottery, said CEEH Foundation Chair Owen Byers in his report to the board.

This will go towards the redevelopment of the hospital as set out in the 25 year master plan. The Dream Home Lottery is done in partnership with the Bluewater Health Foundation and the proceeds are split between the two partners.

The CEEH Foundation was also able to purchase 20 new wheelchairs, over 10 new walkers and many new therapeutic cushions for the hospital’s physiotherapy department.

A donation of $5,000 was received from the CIBC Children’s Foundation and a specialized pediatric resuscitation system for the emergency department and a toddler/baby weigh scale was purchased. The foundation purchased five televisions for patients in the Chronic/Continuing Care Department with another donation.

During the meeting, the board also reports how many people have moved through the hospital throughout the year.

Bluewater Health has delivered 1,085 babies, completed 10,344 MRI exams, treated 764 COVID-19 patients and treated 527 patients in its cancer clinic in the past year according to the 2021-22 annual report.