HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1979-06-13, Page 33Emergency dept, enlarged Laboratory updated
Hospital to unveil latest facilities
By C. A. CANN
(Public Relations Chairman)
Thursday, June 21, South Huron
Hospital officially opens its im
pressive new addition. As the
hospital moves into jet-age health
care, some of the most modern and
best equipment available will be
unveiled tp the public for whom it is
there to serve.
Early in 1972 the directors of the
South Huron Hospital began to im
plement the recommendations of the
Master Plan for the South Huron
Hospital as outlined 'by Agnew
Peckham, hospital consultants.
Keeping in mind the long term health
care objectives and the priorities
established for up grading service
areas, the Board of Directors decided
to plan and prepare sketches and
drawings for their new addition.
In the next five years as many as
eight architectural sketches were
drawn and re-drawn until finally in
1976 the plans were approved by the
Ministry of Health. The estimated
cost was $1,250,000.00. Also, ac
companying approval of the plans
was a letter from the Ministry ad
vising the Board of Directors that no
funds from the government were
available at this time for the project.
Upon further inquiry the Board was
to find out that the Ministry could not
advise when such funds would be
available. The crunch of cutting back
on hospitals and health care had
begun.
In the meantime the Board was to
learn that the x-ray equipment
installed in 1953 was indeed obsolete
and could in fact be dangerous to
technicians and patients. It was
hoped that it would last until the new
addition could be completed. These
hopes faded. Emergency meetings
produced important decisions. The
very best of up-to-date x-ray
equipment was purchased and
placed in the old original x-ray room.
It cost over $100,000.00, and it would
be relocated into a new wing as soon
as it could be built.
The Board decided to go it alone
with the help of Huron County
Council and the ijioral support of all
the other hospitals within the county.
New plans were drawn up on a lesser
plan than had been previously ap
proved. It would cost $640,000 dollars
about one-half of the original plan,
but it would provide the necessary up
grading of health services in the
three departments already outlined
emergency, x-ray and
physiotherapy.
All the original plans called for the
removal of the old Carling house, to
be replaced by a new structure that
would include administration offices,
waiting room and the health service
areas already mentioned, the old
house was deteriorating in spite of
good efforts to keep it up. It was a
fire hazard to the rest of the hospital,
and the cost of up keep and heating
was prohibitive. The Board of
Directors reluctantly agreed it had
to go to make way for the new ad
dition.
One More Milestone
Another milestone in the history of
the hospital has been reached in
keeping with the long term plans.
The new emergency entrance, apart
from the patients ward can now
provide prompt service for ever
increasing numbers of out-patients.
Last year well over 5000 persons
were treated at South Huron’s
emergency facility. The number is
expected to increase each year.
In the new emergency department
there are three treatment and
examinations rooms, one with in
stalled Ohio medical walls, the latest
equipment to handle ' cardio
pulmonary distress.
The radiology department con
tains two examination rooms. The
one houses the $1000,000 major x-ray
unit from the old area, and the other
is designed toaccommodatefuture x-
ray expansion and is also used as a
cast room for fractures.
A new and larger laboratory has
been designed to provide for future
increases in lab tests. Presently the
lab is producing approximately
124,000 units of work per year.
An elevator has been installed to
provide transportation of patients to
the lower level which houses the new
physiotherapy department. There
are four patient treatment areas, a
fully equipped gym and a
hydrotherapy unit (whirlpool). It is
estimated it could accomodate up to
5000 patient attendances per year.
The administration centre con
TWO OHIO MEDICAL WALLS , the most advanced equipment available,
have been installed in the new emergency department of South Huron
Hospital. The wall includes a built in vacuum suction unit, piped in oxygen,
blood pressure machine and an elapsed time indicator used in emergency
situations for CPR resusitation. Above, R.N. Norma Lindenfield treats a
patient.
Role study followed
In the early 1970’s a role study was
conducted in all the hospitals of
Huron County to produce a master
program of each hospital. This
program defined broadly those
elements which each hospital would
require over the next 20 years or so in
order to provide proper health
services to its particular service
area.
In February of 1972, Agnew
Peckham and Associates Ltd.,
tains offices for all administration
and business office staff. There is a
large waiting room to accommodate
the public and a hospitality and gift
shop.
hospital consultants, completed the
Master Program for the South Huron
Hospital. In brief, the study pointed
out several pertinent facts, the first
being that the old Carling
house, dating back to 1854, con
structed mainly of wood and which
made up part of the hospital con
stituted a fire hazard.
The master program for South
Huron Hospital also advised that the
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