In November 2008, the Provincial Government announced capital funding to move the Summerside dialysis unit from its current location at the Summerset Manor to the Prince County Hospital. The current location is no longer suitable for patients or staff due to limited space.
According to information on PEI government website www.buildpei.ca, “the unit will contain 7 individual treatment areas and two isolation rooms as well as other space to support service delivery. (i.e training room and bio-medical room). Treatment capacity will be more than doubled as individual treatment areas increase from the current four to nine spaces. The addition of two isolation rooms means improved infrastructure for infection control purposes. A new Reverse Osmosis water treatment system will be introduced, improving the quality of the water used for hemodialysis treatments. Improved water quality means improved patient outcomes.”
Those plans have come to fruition as shovels have hit dirt for the first time in the year long project. The new unit is slated to open in 2012 and its 9 chairs will give a maximum capacity of 54 patients per week according to Dr. Bruce Jones, Nephrologist and advocate for dialysis in Prince County. In a recent interview with PCH Foundation staff Dr. Jones said, “The current unit has outlived its usefulness, upgrading to current standards is needed. I am very pleased with the government’s decision to move forward with a new hemodialysis unit at the PCH.”
During Legislature in April Minister Carolyn Bertram spoke of the dedication the PEI Government has to dialysis patients, “This Government is committed to providing Islanders with high quality renal care… Our dialysis program is truly having a positive impact on Islanders. We have improved the quality of life for Islanders with renal disease and reduced out-of province travel and related costs. We continue to work towards improved transition from chronic to acute hemodialysis, and ultimately we are working to delay the progression of kidney disease.”
The Prince County Hospital Foundation board President Bill Thompson applauds this announcement as the service is in much need of updating for both equipment and location. “We are very pleased to see the dialysis project moving forward this year. Patients will benefit greatly from the new unit, and we look forward to working with Health PEI on this project,” says President Thompson. He continues, “This is an exciting time. Patients and staff will receive a much needed boost from this new facility. We are looking forward to the opening of this unit in 2012, and we also realize that this project will require significant contributions from the PCH Foundation and therefore our faithful community donors. In 2011, the Prince County Hospital Foundation will strive to raise nearly $250,000 for the new dialysis unit alone. The needs in this new unit vary greatly, including nearly everything that touches the patient during treatment; ranging from several new hemodialysis machines to patient chairs. We know that our caring communities will see how vital this new unit will be to Islanders and will once again join us in the betterment of our community, our health, and PEI.”
Photo: PCH Foundation president, Bill Thompson, far right, is joined by the Honourable Janice Sherry, second from left, Minister of Community Services, Seniors and Labour, the Honourable Carolyn Bertram, Minister, Health and Wellness, and Gerard Greenan, MLA for District 22: Summerside – St Eleanors. The group gathered on May 2 to review plans for the new hemodialysis unit being built at the Prince County Hospital. A call for tenders was issued by the provincial government on April 26th for the $2.7 Million project. In addition to those funds, the PCH Foundation will fundraise for nearly $250,000 to outfit the new unit with the necessary medical equipment. (PEI Government Photo/Brian L. Simpson)
