File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

RIH UPGRADES

First phase of RIH emergency room upgrades expected to open this October

Sep 9, 2024 | 6:15 PM

KAMLOOPS — “We are quite happy to have this as a shining star within our new emergency department,” said RIH Director of Clinical Operations Joshua Sharp.

The first new section of the Royal Inland Hospital emergency department is scheduled to open to the public at the end of October. While the overall project still has two years to go, the new space is expected to improve quality of care immediately.

“We are really excited with the expansion of our triage area. We are moving from two to four bay windows, so we are hopeful that we will get patients into the system faster, that they can receive their treatments in a quicker timeline, their diagnoses if they need to, and then if needed moving up to an admitted care bed,” said Sharp.

The new emergency department is designed to decongest the current waiting area and also provides fully private bays to patients needing increased care.

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“This is setting up for individual patient care options, increasing the privacy for patients coming in for assessments and allowing for our healthcare providers to perform those private assessments in a quieter place than in our current situation right now. [We’re] really happy to have individual steel framed patient treatment areas,” added Sharp.

The biggest struggle for hospitals across B.C. right now has been to recruit and retain staff. The new ER is, hopefully, a new tool in the toolbox for Royal Inland.

“I definitely think this gives us a leg up,” said Gerry Desilets, Executive Director of Clinical Operations. “I think the fact that we have a beautiful new space, new care areas, I think the way treatment rooms are with actual private space for patients is unseen in many hospitals. People will be able to work in an area that is new, clean, bright, provide the care they want. I think it’s a huge advantage for us recruiting staff.”

The next phase of the project includes the creation of new spaces for mental health and substance use patients.

“Although Phase 1B will be a very exciting point, we want to just continue on and get to that next phase of the care space so we can just provide better treatment, more effective treatment and a more patient centered experience for everyone around here,” said Sharp.

The entire emergency department project is expected to be complete in the fall of 2026.