The Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-01-27, Page 178.
exi
an
Pr
fiCeilt::
?Ort;"
due:.
•
a special t4ceremony
nesdar afternoon, the
nded -, and renovated
rgency wing of
andrit-r7 Karine- and
ral Hospital .: • was .0f-
-11Y opened. The
monY arlstened the $1.1
on project although it
been slowly pressed into
ice over 'the past few
ths and weeks as 'con -
tion progress permitted,.
rkers .Stayed on the job
ugh the final weekend
ing the finishing touches
he site named the E.A.
tt wing. Some decorating
, _installation of equip -
and final electrical and
bing lookups were all
were needed to make the
ity entirely operational
e for the opening.
spital administrator Jim
ks said the addition, first
ested in October of 1970,
provide 8,000- square feet
xpanded area and 4;00
re feet of renovated
. He said the work Was
as a result of the Agnew-
,
Peckham role study of the.
hospital. The -study set the
• Alexandra 'Marine and
General Hospital emergency
department as a top priority
for„expansion to meet the
.needs of the. units 18,000
People in its service area as
well its the great influx of
tourists in the summer
months: _ -
The hospital , serves :Abe
teWn of Goderich, the.yillage
of Payfield and the townships
of Colborne, 'Goderich, West
Wawanosh, Ashfield and
.Stanley.'
The service population
sends from 12,000 to 14,000
emergency.cases to
Alexandra arine and
General in a year, the bulk of
those coming during the -
summer months. The
laboratory at the hospital also
, handles an impressive
number of patients' needs
during the year and is getting
More every year. In 1975
about 5,000 patients hail tests
done in the lab and that,
• number swelled to .in
t976and in the first .three,
weeks of 1977 500 people had
been referred to -the lab for
tests.
The new wing includes sb
examination- 7 --rooms •
emergency where before
aubles the
there was one, d
size of the laboratory, in -
chides a new radiology room
and -file area and centralizes
admitting as well as updates
_ and adds to the __IfoSpital's
equipment inventory.
Mr. Banks said the new
examination rooms will be a
drastic improvement at the
hospital and suggested that
anyone who had been to
emergency in the past 'will
understand what the ex-
pansion means. He said that
on some occasions minor
emergency .cases had been
treated in the hall because the
emergency room was being
used while other people
waited in the sic chair lounge
area along -with patients
waiting for results from
laboratory and radiology
Said :the new buildk.
embodies just about
everything., a community
hospital should, "adding that
the care of patients wilibe
made more efficientand that:
the installation. of itecy
equipment will give ti*,
hospital a slightly greater.
capacity to meet health
needs.
0,4):,iiization room and a
central nursing station.
:The new laboratory cen-
tralizes the equipment in the
department and now includes
aV bacteriology department.
ABacteriology is the study of
ii6dy..infections and the ad-
dition of'the equipment. in the
AM & G lab now speeds up
patient test results by one to
two days as well as cutting
down the costs for referral
werk.
patient with an infection
Was the area swabbed or if
need be gives a_sample of
body fluids and the potential
infection is cultured to
determine what the, cause of
the problm is and what drug
will 'be most effective to
combat it. As well as haxing
continuous laboratory -patient
Contact the responsible
doctor will have direct
Cbntact with the laboratory
diming the tests.
f'iThe new radiology
department boasts an X-ray
fljachine that increases the
fectiveness of radiology
t.ts while at the same time
ducing the amount of
diation to which the patient
exposed. The machine;
Ontracted for purchase in
1174 was' delivered in 1976 and
most $156,000. Mr. Banks said
e purchase was unique in
tjiat the machine is entirely
odern but has a two-year-old
ice tag. A comparable unit
t today's -prices . would cost
178,0(X).
The new X-ray table and
• Oteiii:4 pieces of, overhead
...kliettipment can 'all be Moved.
ini direction through the
use of the computerized
control panel and the closed
circuit televiiion allows
direct 'visual monitoring of
planned -ray sites. With this
visual aid the incidents of
unsatisfactory and un-
necessary pictures is reduced
to almost nil cutting costs in
the department sharply. The
new area gives radiology
more office and filing space,
a new dark room , for
developing X-ray pictures;
lead lined walls for safety and
five new changetooms where
before there was one.
Department head Ed
Giesbrecht claims that the
addition to radiology now
makes the unit as capable as
any unit in a large centre and
as efficient. He said the new
machine is aimed entirely at
increased patient care and
meets those needs ex-
ceptionally well.
Mr. Banks said the hospitaj.
can now be used to eithei,
treat people directly 'or.'
prepare them for - tran-
sportation to a centre tiMt,
will, meet their exact needs
due to specialized persomel.
and facilities.
Each of the six new
emergency rooms is equipped,
with a ceiling mounted,
examination light, wall
mounted oxygen and blood
pressure equipment and each.
gives the patient privacy
while keeping him in constant
contact with duty nurses. The
department also includes an
a*frecture room, a patient
emergency operating facility,.
e new X-ray machine at -Alexander Marine and
eneral Hospital tilts In almost any position from a
mote control panel and applies television cameras, a
om lens and many new features of radiology to make
e hospital one, of the better centres in the province in
e field of radiology. (staff Ohoto,) • . ”
• Laboratory.,technologist Dennis Miske pours some acid
Into a glass beaker to clean the container and puts one of
the new pieces of equipment in the Alexandra Marine
and General hospital lab to work. Mr. Miske is pouring
• the noxious fluid under the fume hood that will collect the
fumes and discharge them through an exhaust fan. Prior
• to the installation of the hood the technologists just had to
, put up.with the fumes, (staff photo)
Laboratory technologist Bob Pitzjamessterilizeia Culture tray inthe new bacteriology
unit in the.AlexandroMarine and genef,alpr)/,Xlie unit cuts down the
-eostatreferral worki-Makei InfeetfairditignoslinicireireiiM-cifuse cif closeness to the
patient and gives the doctor a first hand look at the problems of infection. (staff photo)
•
yr •
OSIAtaladinfrilitrator Jitn Bank!
*Sit* Oteitiergericy rooms built when the
oomsnffer patients more privacy
4 Het tat-