Hospital hosts grand opening of new short-stay area

Patients recovering from angioplasty procedures in Thunder Bay have a new place to stay.
 
Officials with the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre on Monday held a grand opening for the new angioplasty short-stay area – an area where patients can recover from medical procedures. Officials with the Health Sciences Centre say the opening will have a regional impact.
 
“We’ve made tremendous strides in the provision of cardiac care in a short period of time,” said Health Sciences Centre president and CEO Andree Robichaud Monday. “Today’s celebration is another important milestone representing an advanced standard of care for the cardiac patients of Northwestern Ontario.”
 
The short-term stay area is a six-stretcher recovery area that is attached to the hospital’s cardiac unit.

The hospital is in the process of constructing its second cardiac catheterization lab, which will be complete by September. Hospital officials say the cardiac expansions have long been on the region’s wish list, where cardiac disease rates are the highest in the province.

Lori Marshall, vice-president of planning, medicine and cardiology, said they realized early on that with the expansion plans, the hospital would need extra recovery area space for their patients.
 
“We couldn’t put it all into the one area,” she said. “What we decided to do was to create a second area, which we think will be better for patients.”
 
The area is a more private and quiet spot for recovering patients then what was previously available. The short-stay area is available for patients for the 24 hours following their procedure.
 
Nearly $5 million has been donated in support of advanced cardiac care at the Health Sciences Centre, and less than $500,000 remains to be raised for the second cardiac catheterization lab.