Emergency room expansion underway on Manitoulin Island
The pandemic has caused major delays for construction projects, and the emergency room expansion at Manitoulin Health Centre in Mindemoya is no exception.
The project was originally to start this past spring and be complete by December 2021. But now construction is expected to wrap up next summer.
The delay has also led to changes in design. Instead of one negative pressure room, there will now be three. These are rooms that are safe to care for COVID patients/respiratory illness because the air does not circulate throughout the facility.
“Improved airflow to help for a consideration of future respiratory outbreaks -- and that even includes people with serious pneumonias or during flu season -- anything where we’ve got a little more space and better airflow, obviously, is good for our patients,” said Dr. Maurianne Reade, who is a physician at Manitoulin Health Centre's Mindemoya site.
The 2,700 square-foot-extension will also feature a better line of sight to patient areas from the nursing station, a larger chemotherapy suite, greater confidentiality during visits and a dedicated mental health observation area.
“We will be having a safe room for mental health patients for that extra level of protection for people," Reade said.
"The pandemic has certainly accelerated or highlighted the need as we see that second wave of a pandemic of mental health issues.”
Officials with the hospital said Manitoulin Health Centre has one of the highest rates in the north of people arriving at the ER with mental health challenges.
In all, $1.75 million has already been raised, but more money is needed in order to complete the project.
'Let’s Emerg Together' is the name of the campaign launched Monday; progress will be displayed through a thermometer created by local Ojibwe artist Kathryn Corbiere, owner of One Kwe.
“We’ve had very generous gifts from First Nations, from municipalities and groups and so we are getting there but there is a gap still,” said Angela Becks, fundraising chair.
A total of $2.5 million needs to be raised with the hospital to cover the costs for the rest of the project.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.