$1.8 Million for IWK Construction Projects
HEALTH - $1.8 Million for IWK Construction Projects
Health Minister Jane Purves announced today, June 17, that the IWK Health Centre in Halifax will receive $1.8 million for two construction projects to support family-centred patient care and the latest genetics treatment.
"Healthy babies and children are more likely to grow into healthy adults," said Ms. Purves. "Spending less than two million dollars is a small price to pay for services that Maritime families depend so much on to help fight disease and stay well."
One million dollars will be used to renovate space for the Medical Day Assessment and Treatment Unit for outpatient services. The project will allow outpatient clinics, currently located on inpatient units, to relocate to one central location. It will have larger patient rooms, allowing families to accompany their children to clinic visits, more private rooms, larger waiting spaces, more accessible washroom facilities and additional space for caregivers.
In 2002, the IWK had more than 88,000 registered pediatric outpatient visits from across the three Maritime provinces.
The second project, worth $800,000, will result in the construction of a new space for the Maritime Medical Genetics Service. This service offers diagnosis, treatment, education and counselling for families throughout the life cycle (pre-natal, newborns, children, families). The total number of patients waiting to access this service has increased by 45 per cent in the past year, making expansion the only option for meeting patient needs. With the new clinical space, the genetics service will be able to bring together its multi-disciplinary team, currently located throughout the hospital. The larger space will be situated on the top floor of the new research facility, currently under construction.
Brian MacDougall, vice president, operations and support services said the way the IWK Health Centre delivers care has changed over time.
"There is now a greater emphasis on treating patients on an outpatient basis," said Mr. MacDougall. "This allows children to remain at home, surrounded by family - ultimately helping them heal where they heal best. This announcement will allow us to deliver care more efficiently and effectively to patients and their families across the Maritime provinces."
The $1.8 million comes from the Department of Health's $30 million capital fund and fits within the direction of the Healthy Babies, Children and Families chapter of the department's Your Health Matters plan.