Renovations to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital's Cancer Clinic allow the clinic to handle more patients.
The $1.8-million project, cost-shared by the province and the Regional Hospital District of Nanaimo, includes one more clinic room, a larger pharmacy with state-of-the-art equipment to handle increased patient volumes, and an improved atmosphere for patients and staff.
"It's a really comfortable atmosphere, in spite of the fact we have all these chemicals pouring into our bodies," said patient Lynn Bonner, 70, who is undergoing chemotherapy treatment in the clinic for the second time.
Linda Burrows, clinical coordinator, said the clinic's pharmacy was upgraded from a 144-square-foot room to a four-room, 742-square-foot facility in compliance with current regulations.
The new pharmacy includes a stainless steel anteroom, a patient counselling room, a room for pharmacists to check orders and do computer work and a drug preparation room with two biohazard mixing cabinets to prepare the chemotherapy drugs.
Burrows said the old pharmacy only had one biohazard cabinet and it wasn't isolated or on a separate ventilation system as is the case now, which reduces the risk of exposure to biohazard chemicals.
The Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation donated $16,500 to buy the second cabinet.
Prior to the renovations, Burrows said the clinic was seeing almost 3,000 patients per year, but the health authority hired a new medical oncologist last spring, increasing the clinic's patient load and putting a strain on the old facility.
"We're seeing over 3,500 patients per year now so it was unacceptable," she said.
The clinic has the ability to expand further, added Burrows, but more staff would be needed, as staffing levels have not changed since the expansion, with the exception of the new oncologist.
"It's a stretch now to keep things going," she said. "This is a state-of-the-art pharmacy that will take us into the future, but you can only do so much as the human resources budget allows you to do."
Dr. Randy Barmack, a general practice oncology physician who has worked at the clinic for 11 years, said prior to renovations, the clinic was sending 20-30 per cent of its patients to Victoria for chemotherapy treatment – at least for the start of their treatment – and he believes the expanded capacity will meet the demand for chemotherapy services for mid-Island patients for now.
Burrows said some people will still have to go to Victoria, as the Nanaimo clinic does not offer radiation treatments.