June 26, 2006

Residents living in the NOR-MAN area will receive better care sooner with the start of a $6-million renovation to St. Anthony’s Hospital in The Pas, Health Minister Tim Sale announced today.

“We are committed to delivering better services closer to home,” said Sale.  “St. Anthony’s Hospital is an important facility in The Pas and these substantial renovations will make a real difference for patients in the NOR-MAN area.”

Once completed, St. Anthony’s Hospital will have a new three-bed special-care unit, a renovated exam and treatment area, and an expanded 10-bed dialysis unit.

“The completed project will deliver a much more functional emergency room and special-care unit.  We look forward to offering our emergency service in a significantly improved environment,” said Drew Lockhart, chief executive officer, NOR-MAN Regional Health Authority.  “The expansion of the dialysis department will not only benefit residents of our region, but will also relieve some of the pressures on the Winnipeg Renal Program.”

“Northern Manitobans have said they want more health-care facilities and services closer to home and the St. Anthony’s renovation responds to this need,” said Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Minister Oscar Lathlin.  “This investment builds on our Northern Development Strategy.”

The renovation of the hospital meets one of the five goals of the government’s Northern Development Strategy:  providing quality health care, good housing, reliable transportation, employment and training, and economic development.

The hospital project is expected to be completed in 2008.

Other Manitoba Health related initiatives in the NOR-MAN area include:

·         A new primary health-care centre in The Pas.  The centre provides community residents with access to a wide range of health-care services including primary health care, mental health services, and health promotion, prevention and education programs.

·         The construction of St. Paul’s Residence, a 60-bed $9.7-million personal-care home.

·         The creation of the Aboriginal Midwifery Education Program at the University College of the North (UCN).  The program offers training in both traditional Aboriginal and Western methods of midwifery, and includes both classroom and clinical components. One of the two teaching sites for the Aboriginal Midwifery Education Program is the UCN campus in The Pas.

·         A new geothermal ambulance and EMS training facility at St. Anthony’s Hospital.

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