Nanaimo Regional General Hospital’s emergency department treats 53,000 patients a year and is the busiest on Vancouver Island. Originally designed to handle 15,000 patients a year, it was also the most crammed.
Monday (Sept. 17) the hospital opens its doors for the public to come and see the hospital’s most recent and one of its most expensive expansions, the new $36.9-million emergency wing.
The new wing incorporates the latest features and architectural design found in hospital emergency departments around the world and has been designed for efficient patient flow and energy efficiency.
Patient treatment spaces are divided by glass doors with privacy options.
The unit has also been built to handle people with mental health or addictions issues and includes emergency psychiatric services and a psychiatric intensive care unit within the wing.
“The new emergency wing is physically beautiful and I think what will strike people the most is all of the natural light there is throughout the expansive space, which is unusual for a hospital emergency department setting,” Anya Nimmon, VIHA spokeswoman, said in an e-mail to the News Bulletin.
Public tours of the completed ward will be hosted 1-5 p.m., starting from the new emergency entrance off of Boundary Avenue.
Due to limited parking at NRGH, the public is asked to consider carpooling, busing, biking or walking to the hospital grounds.