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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-10-07, Page 5ALEXANDRA MARI.NE& GENER HERE'S THE DIAGNOSIS Since 11906 Alexandra Marine and General Hospital hos en- deavoured to provide the communities of Godorlch and vicinity with good health core facilities. In recent years the medical staff of our hospital have identified to the Board of Governors that the In- tensive care unit of our hospital Is below provincial standards and the existing equipment Is obsolete and, In some cases, non - repairable. The purpose of this report is, therefore, to outline the hospital's plans to Improve the Intensive core facilities of the hospital and, secondly, to solicit your financial support for the protect. ITEM 1: Present DiffiEulties with the Existing Intensive Care Unit The present ground area Is extremely limited. The Ministry of Health guidelines for on Intensive Caro Unit of 4 beds recommend1, an area of 12,000 square feet 10 available. Our unit Is housed in 472 square feet. This extreme lack of space means that there is little room for equipment, difficult access to the patient by nurses and doctors and an almost total lack of privacy for our patients. The lack of access to the patient is noted during cardiac arrest procedures. During these Incidents it Is difficult to got the necessary equipment and medical and nursing staff around the patient without con- siderable disturbance to the other patients In the unit. The present I.C.U. was created as a result of converting 2 ordinary patiencrooms. As a result the unit was never purpose-built and ob- servation of the patients from the ;nursing station is most Inadequate. From the present nursing station the nurse is unable to see any of the 4 patients while she is working at her desk. The cramped area glvos little privacy to our most 111 patients. This lack of privacy and close proximity to another seriously 111 patient can have little beneficial effect to patients. There is also the theoretical risk of an Increased infection rote when patients, who at times may be carrying various infections, aro In dose proximity to other non -Infected patients. The present monitoring equipment used in the I.C.U. was purchased second-hand approximately 5 years ago. This equipment Is now at the point whore it can no longer be repaired. Hence, wo have no choice but to consider buying new equipment. New monitoring equipment will have the advantage that It Is reliable, guaranteed and purpose-built for our requirements. With the new equipment, the attending nurse will be able to sae from her desk a constant recording of cardiograms from patients who are being monitored. In addition the new equipment will have additional alarm systems which immediately alert the attending nurse to any change in the cardiac rhythm. This is of tremendous advantage in looking after unstable cardiac cases. The now equipment will have the capacity to monitor 4 patients, whereas the old equipment was only capable of monitoring 3. In addition, the new equipment will possibly allow for us to monitor a patient by telemetry. This concept Is now and most helpful in monitoring patlonts for signs of cardiac irregularity whilst they are up and about. The patient is free to walk about the hospl'tal, carrying on his normal routine, whilst his every heartbeat Is transmitted to the nursing station by a small transmitter which is attached to the patient's chest. This allows us to monitor a patient in o more natural setting and has considerable advantages. Tho now Intensive Care Unit will have a floor space of 11,500 square feet. This falls within the guidelines recommended by the Ministry of Health. This extra floor space will give professional personwel greater ease of access, more room for personal effects and more personal privacy and more space to move our specialized equip- ment within the unit. The exact internal details of the unit have yet to be confirmed, but it Is likely that each cubicle will bo separated from the remainder of the unit by a glass partition. This design will give each patient some sense of privacy whilst allowing the atten- ding nurse to keep the patient under constant view. It Is likely that the unit will be built with "medical walls". Medical wells are units which contain custom-bullt outlets for oxygen, suc- tion, monitoring equipment and the necessary lights and blood pressure equipment, etc. This will mean that each patient area will have a standardized setup. Our present I.C.U. Is short of space, short of natural light, and has miserable docar. A new unit with more space, more light and more adequate decor, cannot but add to the well-being of our patients. ITEM 2: Activity of our Present Intensive Care Unit Total active admissions to this hospital were 2,213 In the past year. Of these, 376 patlonts were admitted directly to the Intensive Care Unit. This means that over the post year, 18% of all admissions to this hospital have been sufficiently critical to warrant initial obser- vation and treatment within the unit. This represents a high per- centage of our admissions and o high utilization of the unit. The oc- cupancy rote of the unit has been 2.8 patients per day over the past year. Again, this represents a high utilization of our present 4 - bedded unit. Reviewing the figures for the unit over the past 3 years reveals a similar utilization as to those quoted abode for the past year. ITEM 3: Types of Patients Cared for in Our Unit Cardiac patients - 40%; Surgical patients - 10% (motor vehicle ac- cidents, major trauma); Respiratory patients - (asthmatics, pneumonia cases, chronic chest diseases) - 15%; Paediatrics -. 10% (croup, febrile convulsions, serious infections); Overdoses - 3%; Other patients - 17% (mainly medical - example - diabetic coma, stroke, epilepsy). ITEM 4: Special Consideration Because of Our Geographic -Setting Goderich Is situated 60 miles from the nearest major centre. This means that any patient has to travel in an ambulance for ap- proximately 60,175 minutes before they can be received Ina major centre. On many occasions, when dealing with the critically sick patient, his condition is such that he cannot be Immediately dispat- ched to such a centre. Prior to such a transfer he has to be admitted and stabilized. Such patients have need of the most adequate in- tensive care prior to their transfer. In the winter months of December through March, access to the London teaching centres Is often Impossible because of road con. dltlons- At such times wo often have to keep patients in Godorteh, who we would normally transfer. A VE t GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, OCITOBER. 7,1961—PAGE 5 HOSPITAL RE N RAISING CAMPAIGN BE AWARE! BE INFORMED! READ ON,.. THIS IS THE CURE PROPOSED EXPANSION: As outlined on Appendix A, the Board proposes to expand the hospital with a 2400 square foot addition. The addition will house a fully modern and newly equipped four bed intensive core unit plus three other active core wards of varying sizes. These three wards will permit the needed expansion of other departments in the hospital such as physiotherapy, day care surgery and the relocation of the paediatric ward. The 1982 estimated cast of the protect, PROPOSED INTENSIVE CARE UNIT ALTERATIONS as prepared by the architects, Tillman 8 Ruth, London, Ont. is as follows: Building '375,000.00 Architect Fees '35,000.00 Equipment '85,000.00 Total Cost (1982) '495,000.00 The Board has directed the architects to prepare contract documents and plans with the intent of tendering early In 1982. The unit, It is anticipated, will be constructed and occupied by September 1982. IT IS YOUR HOSPITAL - YOUR 1NTENSiVE CARE UNIT - AND IT NEEDS YOUR HELP! Be home and be ready to Welcome Canvassers I.C.U. DOOR TO DOOR BLITZ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 Your Pledges (Post dated Cheques) d, Donations aro needed, Follow the Blitz progress over TV Cable 12 Thursday evening FINANCING: The Provincial Government, as outlined in Appendix B, has approved the protect but is unable to fund it. The urgency of the required improvements left the Board only one option - to fund the protect locally. The Board has been able to designate '245,000,00 of its reser- ve funds to the project and is soliciting the remaining '250,000.00 through a public fund raising campaign. CONCLUSION: There Is no doubt that the improvement in the intensive core unit of our hospital will be an Improvement in the quality of life of our community. The fact that In the past three years 17% of all admissions to the hospital have; at one time or another, required inten- sive hospital care is convincing evidence that this is a vital and active department of our hospital. We solicit your support. HERE'S JUST A FEW BENEFITS OF THE NEW I.C.U. -• The new equipment will be capable of monitoring all ICU patients 24 hours a day from one central nursing station. • Pa»Alts will also be monitored by tel- emetry — an electronic system allowing the patient to be moved about the hospital while his every heart beat is transferred to the central nursing station. • Each ICU patient's area wilt be equipped with specialized outlets for oxygen. suction. blood pressure machines, etc. • In addition t'o modern equipment. accommodation for the patients will be greatly improved. • The new Intensive Care,Unit will triple in size to meet government standards. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 524-8323 EXT. T o UESTIONS .of ANSWERS Q. What is an intensive care unit? What does It do that could not be performed by another part of the hospital? • A. An I.C.U. is required for patients who are critically ill. Their vital signs are constantly monitored by special equipment operated by trained per- sonnel. The patients have constant nursing often on a one-to-one basis. Q. How much will the new I.C.U. cost? A. Approximately '500,000. including equipment. Q. Why is it necessary to get funds from the public for the new cC.U.? A. The Government has no money available for this project. The need for the I.C.U. is so urgent a public campaign is necessary. Q. How does our present I.C.U. compare to those at other places? A. Our I.C.U. falls well below Government recommended standards. ,Q. The present I.C.U. Is not up to par so, how can the hospital still operate 1t? A. Although it does not meet standards, without it the critical patient situation would be even worse. Until the new unit is built there is no alter- native. Q. What are the problems with the present I.C.U.? A. Serious lack of space and obsolete equipment. O. Why was this problem not solved sooner? A. The hospital has not had any funds available until now.,Now, with public support it is possible. Q. Will the budget of '500,000. be adhered to? A. Yes, cost estimates based on 1982 construction costs. Q. If the campaign Is only for '250,000. where does the rest come from? ,> A. From the hospital funds supported by eneral charitable donations and endowment funds. Q. How Is the public money to be raised?. A. The campaign will contact. locgl government, the general public, schools, service groups, foundations, etc. Q. How much should 1 give? • A. Some very large donations have'been received, others, at "20. or less. Only you can decide what it is worth. Q. Must 1 pay all the money now? A. No. You can pledge your donation over the next three years. 0. Why should 1 donate to the hospital? A. Because the hospital is yours and serves all the citizens of the com- munity. It is important that the best medical service is available for us all. Q. How long will the campaign lost? A. The official campaign is the month of October. The public canvass is on October 15. Q. How many patients are admitted into the I.C.U.? A. Approximately 400 each year. Q. What type of patient 1s admitted? A. 40% cardiac, 15% respiratory, 10% surgical, 100,. paediatric, 20% other. Q. What percentage of total hospital admissions go to the I.C.U.? A. 18%. Q. What is the size of the present I.C.U.? A. 432 sq. ft. and it contains four beds. Q. What Is the size of the new I.C.U.? A. 1200 sq. ft. This meets acceptable standards and will contain four single • cubicles with provision for a fifth. Q. When is construction due to begin and when will the I.C.U. be complete? A. Building contracts will be awarded early ne,t year The project should be complete by September 1982. Q. Why was the I.C.U.. not added at the same time as the psychiatric wing? A. These are two entirely separate projects. The psychiatric wing was fun- ded by the Government. Q. Why Is the psychiatric necessary when there Is a facility three miles south of Godorlch? A. The two facilities are entirely separate. One is under tfte Ministry of Community and Social Affairs and ours is under the Ministry of Health, tt. Why do patients have to Wait so long In the emergency depor- tment? Whenever there is a backlog in emergency it is usually due to medical at- tention'being given to the more serious Ceases. Q. Will there be other fund raising campaigns for the hospital? A. None nterpior ned for the fore bieftjttyrp