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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-10-14, Page 10,;•••• arlra•k•a•ner?•••••• PAGE 10 —GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, OCI`OliER 14,1981 1 LEXANDRA MARINE & GENERAL HOSPITAL NTEN VEiXitE 1 FUND RAISING CAMPAIGN BE AWARE! BE INFORMED; READ ON... HERE'S THE DIAGNOSIS Since 1100 Alexandra Morino and General Hospital has an.: &immured to provide the communities of eciderich and vicinity with good health care facilities. In recent years the medical staff of our hospital have identified to the Board of Governors that the in - Wishes care unit of our hospital is below provincial standards and the existing equipment Is obsolete and, In some cases, ' non. e pal rabid,. The purpose of this report is. therefore, to outline the hospital's plans to improve the intensive caro facilities of the hospital and. secondly. to solicit your financial support for the prolect. ITEM Present Difficulties with the Existing intensive Care Unit The present ground area is extremely limited. The Ministry .of Health guidelines for an intensive Care Unit of 4 beds recommends an area of 1.201 square feet b. available: Our unit Is housed in 432 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 accost to the patient is noted during cardiac arrest procedures. During these incidents it is difficult to get the necessary equipment and medical and nursing staff around the patient without con- siderable disturbance to the other patients in the unit. .The proo.nt I.C.U. was created as a result of converting 2 ordinary patient rooms. 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 gives little privacy to our most ill patients. This lack of privacy and close proximity to another seriously III patient ion have little beneficial effect to patients. There Is alsci 'the theoretical risk of an increased infection rate when patients, who at times may be carrying various infections, are in close proximity' to other non-infected patients. The, present 'monitoring sqUipment used In the I.C.U..was purchased second-hand approximately 5 years ago. This equipment is now at the point . where it can no longer be repaired.Hence, we have no choice but , to consider buying now 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 see from her desk a constant recording of cardiograms from. patients whci 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 new 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 new and most helpful in monitoring patients for signs of cardiac irregularity whilst they aro up and about. The patient is free to walk about the hospital, 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 a more natural setting and has considerable advantages. The new intensive Care Unit will have a floor space of 1,300 square fest. This fail, within the guidelines recommended by the Ministry of Health. This extra floor space will give professional personnel greater ease of access, mare room for personal effects and more personal privacy and Moro 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 be separated from tho 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 islikely that the unit will bo built with "medical walls". Medical walls aro units which contain cuitom-bulit outlets for oxygen, sue - 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 decor. 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 Core Unit Total active admissions to this hospital were 2,213 In the past year. Of these, 376 patients were admitted directly to the intensive Care Unit. This means that over the past 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 a high utilization of the unit. The oc- cupancy rate 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 above for the past year. ITEM 3: Types of Patients Cared for In Our Unit Cardiac patients - 40%; Surgical patients - 10% (motor vehicle ac- cidents, molar 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 hal to travel in an arnbance for ap- proximately 60-75 mimites before they can be risCfA In a major centre. 6n many occasions, When dealing with the ° • fiz9 HY tick patient, his condition is such that he cannotb 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- ditions. At such limes we ortc-iTri haws to keep patients In Goderleh, who we would normally transfer. THIS IS THE CURE PROPOSED EXPANSION: The, Board proposes to expand the hospital with a 2400 square foot ad- dition. The addition will house a fully modern and newly equipped four bed intensive care unit plus three other ac- tive caro wards of varying sizes. Those three wards will permit the needed ex- pansion of other departments in the hospital such as physiotherapy, day care surgery and the relocation of the paediatric ward. Tho 1982 estimated cost of the proiect, as prepared by the actata,atmaae, ....I.. • rye ••••••••0 • a 41— architects, Tillman & Ruth, London, Ont. Is as follows: Building '375,000.00 Architect Fee's '35,000.00 Equipment 15,000.00 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. /T/ lametati, Rammer mc"eassalm a I I 8C,II I DOI CAM Ilt/IOnddIv. a • • t• • n • n 4,, • • . o • ‘. e n , e A nand PROPOSED INTENSIVE CARE UNIT ALTERATIONS IT IS YOUR HOSPITAL - YOUR INTENSIVE CARE UNIT - AND IT NEEDS YOUR HELPI Be home and be ready t 'Welcome Canvassers I °CI Jo. DOOR TO OOR BLITZ THURS Y, OCTOBER is FINANCING: The Provinlcal Government has approved the proloct but is unable to fund it. The urgency of the required improvements left the Board only ono option - to fund the prolect locally. Tho Board has boon able to designate '243,000.00 of Its reserve funds to the prolect 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 caro unit of our hospital will be an improvement in the quality of life of our community. The fact that in the past three years 18% 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 ARE JUST A FEW BENEFITS OF THE NEW • The new equipment will be capable of monitoring all ICU patients 24 hours a day from one central nursing station. • Patients 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 will be equipped with specialized outlets for oxygen, suction, blood pressure machines, etc. • In addition to 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 INFORMAT!ON ?) EXT. 32 asammettammomemtemtitakteetemetwee Your Pledges (Post dated Cheques)_& Demotions are needed! Follow the Blitz progress over TV Cable 12 Thursday evening QUESTIONS AND 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 troined per- sonnel. The patients have constant nursing often on a one-to-one basis. Q. How much will the now I.C.U. cost? A. Approximately '500,000. including equipment. Q. Why is it necessary to got funds from the public for the now I.C.U.? A. The Government has no money available for this project. The need for the I.C.U. is so urgent o 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 it? • 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 hod 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. whore does the rest come from? A. From the hospital funds supported by general charitable donations and endowment funds. Q. How is the public money to bo raised? A. The campaign will contact local government, the general public, schools, service groups, foundations, etc. Q. How much should I give? A. Some very large donations have been received, others, at '20. or less. Only you can decide what it is worth. Q. Must I pay all the money now? A. No. You can pledge your donation over the next three years. 0. Why should I 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 last? 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 is admitted? A. 40% cardiac, 15% respiratory, 10% surgical, 10% 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. 1300 sq. ft. This meets acceptable standards and will contain four single cubicles with provision for o fifth. Q. When is construction due to begin and when will the I.C.U. be complete? A. Building contracts will be awarded early next 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 Goderich? A. The two facilities are entirely separate. One is under the Ministry of Community and Social Affairs and ours is under tilts Ministry of Health. G. Why do patients have to wait so long in the emergency depar- tment? Whenever there is a backlog in emergency it is usually due to medical at-, tention being given to the more serious cases. Wilitifiefo kit ether feed raising campaigns for the hospital? A. None are planned for the foreseeable future.