ER RENO

The country's poor economy could be one of the best gifts the emergency room at the Aberdeen Hospital has every received.
The ER is in desperate need of a major renovation. While the project was approved in principal by the provincial health department, it was put on a waiting list for funding, which likely wouldn't come through until 2014.
The stimulus money, however, contains $380 million for healthy and safe communities projects. And that could mean moving the emergency room renovation project up - possibly to this year, says Pat Lee, CEO of the Pictou County Health Authority.
"We were told prior to this announcement that we were at the top of the list," Lee said. "So we're really hopeful that we'll receive some of this funding."
The project would involve a complete facility renovation, which last year's Healthy Pictou County Review determined was needed.
The cold snap Pictou County experienced this winter underlined that need. The emergency room had to be moved to another area of the hospital because the temperature in the area was hovering around 10C, despite the presence of space heaters.
"The department just doesn't function properly," Lee said.
The renovations would add 1,486 square metres (4,000 square feet) to the department, built onto the southern side of the hospital facing the parking lot, representing a 63 per cent increase in its current size.
The additional space would allow more privacy for patients and create isolation rooms for incidents like a potential SARS outbreak, he said.
"It will make the department more efficient and address some of the wait-time issues simply by improving the flow-through, although it won't eliminate the wait times," Lee said.
Lee says it's possible for the emergency room to remain operational while the renovations are in progress.
"It will be done in small sections so the renovations can be done and keep the department functional," he said. "I'm not saying there won't be noise and dust, that comes hand in hand with renovations, but it's a short-term loss for long-term gain."
However, not all of the money for the renovation will come from stimulus funds. To complete this type of project, 75 per cent of the money can come from government funds, but the remaining 25 per cent must come from the community. That means the hospital will need to come up with $4 million from the community.
Lee says work has already begun on that process and is hopeful that will be set in place by the time the province approves the project.
When that will be, however, is anyone's guess.
"We're hoping to hear soon," said Lee. "We've worked hard and the public deserves a better facility."
Additionally, the health authority has requested funds to complete another project at the Aberdeen surrounding the pharmacy department. The department is accredited, but the agency that oversees it identified a number of deficiencies, including the lack of equipment like an exhaust fume.