THUNDER BAY – St. Joseph’s Hospital is getting slightly more than $1 million from the province to help upgrades throughout the facility.
Most of the renovations will go unnoticed by patients and their family, at least to the eye. The goal is to improve their comfort level during hospital stays, said chief financial officer Byron Ball on Wednesday, a day after the Ontario Conservative announced they were providing $175 million to hospitals across the province to make repairs and maintenance through the Hospital Renewal and Infrastructure Program.
“Predominantly what that funding will be used for is to support the acquisition and commissioning of building mechanical equipment, upgrades to our physical infrastructure – stuff that patients and families don’t often see, but it is critical to the work that we do here at the Care Group,” Ball said.
Fire alarms, heating and mechanical systems will all be renovated and made more modern – and in some cases energy efficient.
“This is hugely beneficial,” Ball said.
The money will also be used to install way-finding signage throughout the building, which was recently expanded to include a new addition.
Ball said it will be a huge help for patients and family trying to find their way around the facility.
“Here at the hospital, one of the things we do value is making navigation for our patients and our residents and clients and their families easy for them in the site. With the signage in the building, it’s something that will help individuals navigate through the building easily, without having to use verbal cues,” Ball said.
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre also benefited from the program, but the 16-year-old facility only received $75,000, which will be used to replace end-of-life field panels that will help reduce the risk of equipment control failure.
