Ashley Messier builds hockey legacy with sights on PWHL, Olympics
10h ago
Mark Messier is her distant cousin, but this Sask. hockey product is carving her own path.
The new Adult Emergency Department at Royal University Hospital (RUH) was unveiled Wednesday afternoon.
Although there is no set opening date for the department, the promise to cut down on capacity issues, increase flow, and give patients a more comfortable experience was promised.
The department features private exam rooms, enhanced areas for the trauma rooms, additional minor assessment and treatment spaces along with specifically equipped mental health rooms. Additionally, access to the amenities will be quicker in urgent situations with a new large ambulance bay and direct access through a dedicated trauma elevator to the STARS helipad.
Lisa Collard, Director of Emergency Services at the RUH said the area was designed with help from staff that uses the existing departments to increase their ability for treatment.
“What we’ll have in this new facility is better flow. That’s something that we’ve done a lot of work on, here in Saskatoon we’ve made a lot of effort to try and improve patient flow. How quickly patients are seen, their length of stay in the department will also improve.”
Currently, an average of 166 patients are seen through the RUH’s existing department every day.
Health Minister Jim Reiter was at Wednesday’s event, and he said this new department is going to change the way patients in urgent situations will be taken care of.
“Frequently, at your lowest point you’re in an emergency room. Obviously, something’s seriously wrong. We want to provide the best services and the best environment that we can for everyone.”
The Royal University Hospital Foundation committed $5 million to the department for furnishings, new technology, advanced equipment, and features.
Additionally, the provincial government committed $257.6 million for the department along with the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital.