WEYBURN, Sask. – The ribbon has now been cut to officially open the new Weyburn General Hospital.
The hospital held its grand opening ceremonies Friday morning, and now the process begins to transition staff, equipment and patients from the existing hospital as the new facility prepares to accept patients on Nov. 1.
The official opening culminates over a decade of efforts towards the over $134 million project. The province provided those capital costs, with capital costs and furniture fixtures and equipment funded through donors as well as by the Weyburn and District Hospital Foundation.
According to the province’s news release, the new hospital will feature 25 private acute care rooms each with a ceiling lift and a larger accessible washroom.
There will be inpatient mental health beds close to onsite support, a large state-of-the-art operating theatre; what is described as a larger and modern emergency department and trauma care spaces, upgraded laboratory and medical imaging spaces; an onsite Emergency Medical Services base and a heliport to accommodate STARS Air Ambulance for transfers of patients; ambulatory and allied health services; as well as social work and Hospital Foundation offices.
“Replacement of the Weyburn General Hospital has been a top priority for several years and it is wonderful to be here today to be able to see this new beautiful facility completed and ready to welcome patients,” said Minister of Rural and Remote Health Lori Carr.
Carr noted the new facility will bring together services provided at several different locations in the city, including at the existing Weyburn General Hospital, the Weyburn EMS building and at the long term facility Tatagwa View.
“They will all come together here under one roof. By bringing health care together under one roof the new Weyburn General Hospital will improve access specialized and high quality health care for residents in Weyburn and surrounding areas.”
Jeff Richards, Mayor of Weyburn, called it a great day for the city of Weyburn.
“You know, there are certain moments in the timeline of a community where we get to step back and look at what's been accomplished,” Richards said.
“And I would say that today we recognize we've all been part of something pretty special. Today is one of those moments and it's going to last for decades to come, as has been said. A new hospital is a significant investment. Yes, new bricks and mortar, equipment and technology. But what we're really celebrating here today is something much more important. And that is the ability for people in Weyburn and the surrounding area to receive the care they need and to receive that as close to home as we can get it in a facility built to serve them for many decades.”
Minister of Health Jeremy Cockrill said that with the opening of the new hospital, now “we can have different conversations about the services that are offered in communities and look at what's next in terms of what we can offer in Weyburn to patients in southeastern Saskatchewan.”
He noted that with the mental health beds being located at this facility, that will free up space elsewhere. Cockrill also pointed to the large operating room spaces as something that “changes the conversation we can have about what types of procedures we can do at Weyburn General Hospital —- hopefully keeping more people able to receive procedures in southeastern Saskatchewan, not having to travel to Regina or Saskatoon.”
Now the hard work begins to make the move from the existing facility to the new hospital over the next several days. Andrew Will, CEO of Saskatchewan Health Authority, explained it will happen in phases.
Starting Monday, Oct. 26 and continuing through to the first patient day on Nov. 1, “teams will carry out a coordinated transition to the new hospital, ensuring patients continue to receive safe, uninterrupted care throughout the move.”
”Non-clinical areas and equipment will move first, followed by more intensive clinical services towards the end of the week.
Lab services are moving in six phases to remain as functional as possible throughout the transition. Scheduled procedures are planned to stop at the old hospital on Thursday as teams prepare for the final transition. Next week, Sunday, will be the culmination of that week-long transition, with the emergency department transitioning that morning at 6 a.m., followed by the carefully coordinated transfer of patients to the new hospital starting at 7 a.m.”
Will said they are “very fortunate to have some amazing new equipment and furnishings due to the support from the Foundation and the generosity of donors.” He said they will also be using any equipment or furnishings that are appropriate to move over to the hospital as well.
As for staffing, it will be a similar number to the existing hospital’s staff ar around 200, but Will noted it is a larger facility so that will mean additional environmental services workers, and some other areas where there were enhancements as well.
