P.R. hospital plans reno’s to lobby, operating and emergency rooms

Prince Rupert Regional Hospital will be undergoing a proposed facelift to the main floor layout due to multitudinous issues and areas of required improvement, Northern Health stated, on July 16.

A request for proposal (RFP) for consultant services has been placed on BC Bid by the health authority, describing the planning work that is to encompass reviewing and revising the 26,910 sq. ft. main floor layout to better accommodate the operating rooms (OR) and the emergency room (ER).

“Prince Rupert is an aging facility and requires numerous renovations to align with regulatory standards,” the RFP states.

Surgeries at the hospital have increased more than 15 per cent over the past year and occupancy is averaging 115 to 120 per cent, with the health authority expecting additional increases over time.

According to the proposal document, updating the ER and adjacent lobby is required to create proper flow and to meet accreditation standards for the facility.

Several factors and required services are not supported by the current floor usage such as patient privacy in the OR and ER, current infection control guidelines, nurse triage in the ER, safe and efficient administration of medication in the OR, and after-hours registration to the ER.

Once the two-phased construction is completed any new layout will address the concerns and have created a pre-surgical anaesthesia clinic, a culturally compassionate space for families and patients, more efficient optimum patient flow, as well as increased synergy between the admitting clerk and the ER department.

It is proposed that phase one of the construction will see improvement work completed to the ER space and phase two will include upgrades to the OR. Both phases will take into account that the spaces are to remain operational during the renovations.

Northern Health stated its intention is to begin the design work as soon as the consulting contract is awarded, with funding already in place in this year’s fiscal budget.