The Brandon Regional Health Centre's new Critical Care Centre is set to open soon, and could be accepting patients as early as May.
On Wednesday, Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara was at the BRHC to make the announcement, saying the expansion will help Manitobans get better critical care closer to home.
Treena Slate, Chief Executive Officer of Prairie Mountain Health, said the increased number of beds in the new building will only make care easier.
"We will have 16 Intensive Care Unit rooms, and an additional 30 medical beds in our Internal Medicine Unit on the second floor of the building. When we open, we will simply move our current ICU, which is 10 beds operating, into the new building, and we will operate 15 internal medicine beds on the second floor...the Intensive Care Unit is just moving from the current Intensive Care Unit to the new one, and we will be adding and opening beds as we are able to depending on staffing," said Slate.
Slate said PMH doesn't yet have a decision on what they will be doing with the old ICU space in the BRHC. She also said once the Critical Care Centre opens in May, they won't be operating it at full capacity because of staffing limitations, a problem faced at nearly every hospital in Manitoba.
"We have had positions posted to support opening 15 more beds, and we've had good uptake and interest in applications to that unit," said Slate.
Despite staffing challenges, Slate said the staff at the Brandon Regional Health Centre are looking forward to opening the new space, which will only mean good things for the hospital.
"Having single rooms will add to improved care experiences for patients and families, and we'll be able to adhere to infection control standards and protocols in a more effective way than we have in our former setting, so we're all very enthusiastic about it, and the staff are excited to work in this new space," said Slate.
Construction of the new Critical Care Centre started in the Fall of 2022, and has cost $120 million.
