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Pre-admission clinic moved and expanded at Red Deer Hospital Centre

Renovations to move and expand the pre-admission clinic at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre are finished.

Renovations to move and expand the pre-admission clinic at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre are finished.

Improvements to the clinic are part of a $1.7-million project to repurpose space in the hospital’s main level and South Complex second floor.

Pre-admission, where pre-surgery patients learn about what to expect during surgery, moved on June 9 from the main level to a space about twice as large on the South Complex’s second floor. The new interview rooms have improved soundproofing for privacy and are larger for patients in wheelchairs and provide more space for family to attend patient consultations.

At the same time, the bariatric clinic, which specializes in the care and treatment of obesity, was also relocated to the pre-admission clinic from its previous offsite location across the street from the hospital in the Medical Dental Building.

Carol Murray, vice-president of the Red Deer hospital, said Tuesday the pre-admission clinic has been transformed.

“The space for education, the space for patient examination is just superior to what they had in the past. It’s designed so the workflow is efficient and very private for our patients,” Murray said.

The waiting room is also more comfortable, she said.

“Before patients shared a waiting space with endoscopy. When you’d go by there, the little waiting area was always jammed with people.”

More than 3,500 patients visited the pre-admission clinic last year.

In September, renovations are expected to begin on expansion of the endoscopy department, for minimally invasive surgery. It will stay on the main floor and will double in size once it spreads into the pre-admission clinic’s former location, along with the medical day room for various hospital care.

A fourth endoscopy suite will also be added for the colorectal screening program. Red Deer Health Foundation is providing about $650,000 for endoscopy equipment.

Murray said around Christmas some endoscopy service will be relocated to other areas of the hospital for two or three weeks.

Endoscopy renovations should be complete by April 1.

szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com