THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre continues to make progress toward the implementation of a cardiovascular surgery program.
Premier Doug Ford visited the hospital Tuesday as the government announced $5.2 million for the next stage of the project, which was initiated in 2014.
In 2018, TBRHSC began performing other vascular surgeries, and now does 400 procedures a year.
In an interview last year, the then-CEO of TBRHSC, Jean Bartkowiak, said the first cardiovascular surgery could be performed in 2022 or 2023.
However, his successor – Rhonda Crocker Ellacott – said Wednesday that a realistic target is the spring of 2025.
Crocker Ellacott cited the COVID-19 pandemic as one factor that's affected the timing.
She estimated that the hospital is about half-way through the implementation process.
The funding announced Tuesday will pay for planning and design of the program.
The province has provided annual funding to the hospital in various amounts in recent years to support the existing cardiovascular services program including emergency care, a catheterization lab, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator monitoring, and rehabilitation programs.
Before cardiovascular surgery can be offered in Thunder Bay, renovations and expansions of existing space will be required, including:
- additional cardiovascular surgery inpatient cardiac care unit beds
- a new surgical suite equipped with C-arm imaging technology and recovery area
- an expanded ambulatory care and pre-admission clinic
- a new vascular lab
- renovations to medical devices reprocessing and biomedical department
A government news release stated that the mix of programs and services to be delivered through the program will be confirmed in future stages of planning.
In 2020/21, more than 200 patients were forced to travel outside Northwestern Ontario for cardiovascular surgery and post-operative care in southern Ontario.
