THUNDER BAY – As many as 400 patients per year could have heart surgery done in Thunder Bay, starting in three or four years, as the regional hospital continues to work towards implementing full cardiovascular surgery.
The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre has submitted a $32 million financial plan to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care as it prepares to develop a comprehensive cardiovascular surgery program.
“Eventually, we’re hoping by 2020 or 2021 that we will have a comprehensive service that will allow virtually all patients who need cardiac or vascular surgery will have it done here in Thunder Bay and won’t need to travel,” hospital executive vice president Mark Henderson said.
Ontario health minister Eric Hoskins earlier this year announced the province intended to have cardiovascular surgery available in the hospital in 2020. Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro said the province would cover 90 per cent of the capital construction costs, as well as 100 per cent of the ongoing operating costs once the unit is established.
Henderson said the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation is preparing a fundraising program, which will likely have a $10 million target. The foundation would be tasked with paying for the remaining 10 per cent of construction, as well as 100 per cent of capital equipment costs.
“We need to renovate some of the operating rooms but we have enough operating rooms as we understand it. We may have to find space for some extra beds in the hospital,” Henderson said.
“We may yet to have to build somewhere or reconfigure space in the hospital. We’re hoping not to have to build outside the envelope of the hospital.”
At their final meeting of 2017, Thunder Bay city council approved a request to include $1.5 million towards the project for consideration in next year’s budget. Those dollars would still need to be approved during upcoming budget deliberations.
“Ultimately, we believe there will be 70 new full-time jobs at the regional hospital. Two, three, four will be surgeons but we will have to hire extra nurses, extra radiology technologists, and quite a broad spectrum of people,” Henderson said.
“The staff typically come with a spouse and children. They need to buy houses and need to buy food. The whole economy benefits when there’s an investment in health care.”
The hospital, which introduced vascular surgery earlier this year, currently has one surgeon on staff but is slated to add another in early January. A third is anticipated to join in the summer or fall.
“Three surgeons allows us to provide 24/7, 365 coverage for any vascular emergency which might be, for example, somebody cutting their leg with a chainsaw, or it might be a blood clot going down an artery that needs to be removed or a leaking or ruptured aortic aneurysm,” Henderson said.
“Right now, with one surgeon, she can’t possibly provide 100 per cent coverage. It’s just physically impossible. With two surgeons we’ll do more, and with three surgeons we can provide complete coverage.”
The hospital previously introduced angioplasty services in 2009.
