Saskatoon’s new adult emergency department at Royal University Hospital (RUH) opened its doors to local media Friday. It’s slated to open to the public this fall.
The state-of-the-art facility, which is attached to the new Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital, highlights a brighter environment and better patient flow.
The new department has an almost 2.5 times larger footprint than the current space, with 26 private patient assessment rooms, 12 treatment spaces in minor assessment care, and 42 patient care areas.
“What we’re trying to do is have the right care for the right patient. This allows us to have adult setups that are separate, that are private and the same for children,” said Dr. Joanna Smit, area department lead for Saskatoon’s emergency departments.
The new space is patient-centered, with a focus on privacy and room individualization.
Patients’ rooms are equipped with room lighting, there are walls instead of curtains – to give patients the space to discuss private medical matters – and sliding doors that are more sanitary.
The patient rooms are meant to “create a calming environment and reduce anxiety for all patients,” a spokesperson with the SHA said in an e-mail.
“It’s such an improvement from what we have right now. It’ll be just that much better of a place for us to care for our patients,” said Lisa Collard, director of emergency services in Saskatoon.
Another development includes the ambulance bay. RUH has room for two ambulances, but once the ED is complete there will be space for four and patients will have direct access to the trauma zone.
On the roof of the hospital you’ll find the new helipad. It will allow patients to be transported down the elevators and to the trauma zone in two minutes. Currently, it could take up to 20 minutes to transport a sick person from the airport – a place STARS air ambulance can touch down – to the hospital.
Another feature at the hospital is advanced pneumatic tubes – a machine that can suck up tubes of blood samples and deliver them to a laboratory in a matter of seconds.
The speed of delivering blood work can be life or death, Collard said.
“Lab samples can be processed quicker and we’ll get results quicker,” she said.
The cost of the building is $285.9 million – $257.6 million contributed from the province of Saskatchewan, $28.3 million contributed from the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation, and $5 million from the RUH Foundation – according to the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
A mental health unit at RUH will also become permanent.
“As announced in the most recent provincial budget, $1.5 million in new funding will enable the temporary Mental Health Assessment Unit in Saskatoon to become a permanent Mental Health Short Stay Unit (MHSSU). The seven bed MHSSU will provide individuals with acute mental health care needs a place to stay for up to seven days,” a spokesperson with the SHA said in an e-mail.
Collard said the goal of the new facility is to provide quicker access to care, a hospital that’s less congested and a better family experience for patients.
