Capital Project: Boundary Trails Health Centre Expansion
Construction has begun for the new community services building and inpatient expansion at Boundary Trails Health Centre.
A community information session was held on April 13, 2023 at the Days Inn, Winkler. This session included an overview presentation, question and answer period and the opportunity to view several images displayed for public viewing.
Expansion Features
To meet the needs of the growing community it serves, Boundary Trails Health Centre will see the following additions (and more) through expansion to the existing building:
24 additional acute care inpatient beds
Expanded Emergency Department
New state-of-the-art operating room
Expansion of the Cancer Care unit
Dedicated space for palliative care services
A level-2 nursery designed to provide services to premature newborns with complex feeding needs.
New Community Services Building
The new community services building will enable existing community services to be conveniently relocated at Boundary Trails Health Centre. Services in the new building will include:
Public Health
Midwifery
Home Care Services
Children & Youth Rehabilitation Services
Centre for Hope Healing Garden & Healing Courtyard
This two-storey facility will be attached to the existing building and will include administrative offices which will be relocated to make more room for expanded clinical services.
Timeline
The community services building is anticipated to be completed in 2024. Renovation and expansion of the existing health centre will begin once programs have been moved into the new building. Completion of the expansion project is anticipated for 2026.
What Matters to You Regarding this Project? We value your feedback. Please reach out to us via email with any questions or concerns you may have regarding this project.
Province Advises Whooping Cough Outbreak Declared in Southern Health-Santé Sud
Manitoba Health advises that a cluster of whooping cough (pertussis) has now been declared as an outbreak in Southern Health-Santé Sud, as cases continue to be reported. As of June 23, 154 confirmed or probable cases have been reported to Manitoba Health since January, with 152 of them reported from Southern Health-Santé Sud.
This month we are celebrating Pride and the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community. The members of this community are our colleagues, patients and members of the community we serve. Southern Health-Santé Sud is proud to support the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community by participating in various pride parades throughout the month of May and June.
On May 27, staff from Public Health-Healthy Living proudly supported Southern Health-Santé Sud by participating in the Portage la Prairie Pride Parade. Staff from Public Health-Healthy Living also participated in the Pembina Valley Pride Parade on June 10, 2023. Thank you to all that came out to support these meaningful events.
Southern Health-Santé Sud is committed to working toward an environment that disrupts hateful and harmful behaviors and creates a more inclusive experience for all.
Construction Underway at the new Portage Regional Health Centre
Construction is well underway for the new Portage Regional Health Centre in Southern Health-Santé Sud. The new facility will offer more inpatient beds, expanded medicine and surgical capacity, and an improved emergency department to serve Portage la Prairie and surrounding communities, Health Minister Audrey Gordon announced today.
“Our government is healing the health-care system by expanding access to health services and providing rural communities with the care they need closer to home,” said Gordon. “The new 269,000-sq.-ft. hospital will strengthen clinical services for residents of Portage la Prairie and surrounding communities and supports the delivery of high-quality care in a rapidly growing area of our province.”
Rural Week: A learning experience for over 30 first year medical students
Southern Health-Santé Sud would like to thank the 11 communities/clinics, gracious hosts, and the first-year medical students who participated in Rural Week May 29 – June 2, 2023. We were thrilled to welcome over 30 students at various locations across our region. Communities, clinics, hospitals, and other health facilities contributed to the success of this initiative. We are very thankful to the communities of Crystal City, Morden, Morris, Niverville, Notre Dame de Lourdes, Portage la Prairie, St. Claude, St. Pierre Jolys, Steinbach, Winkler, and Vita who made this possible. In addition to the U of M students who participated in Rural Week, St. Pierre/Vita also hosted two bilingual students from the University of Ottawa the week of May 23-26, 2023. These two students are originally from Manitoba and are attending medical school at the University of Ottawa.
Over 30 first-year Medical Students participated in Rural Week at various locations – pictured above are students who were hosted in Morris and St. Pierre – (lt-rt): Hailey Hutchinson, Angela Lu, Bahavana Garg & Chelsea Day.
Rural Week is a one week learning experience for all first-year medical students enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. Rural Week provides an opportunity for the students to get first-hand experience and exposure to rural and northern medicine and the unique lifestyle these communities offer. It is an opportunity for participating communities to showcase what their communities have to offer and promote the opportunities and benefits of rural and northern medicine.
Students spent the week gaining exposure to the work and lifestyle of a rural physician, and experienced some aspects of rural life. Each students experience has been unique, and would have included opportunities to work with local physicians and other health care professionals. In addition to this, some students may have participated in presenting to a local high school, meeting with different leaders in the community, visiting local farms, and other opportunities to explore some of the local attractions.
We truly appreciate the efforts of the staff, clinics, physician leaders and community members who contributed to the success of this initiative. Recruitment is a group effort and we would like to acknowledge the investment of recruitment and retention efforts by these groups of individuals who work tirelessly in providing a positive experience to these students.
Capital Project: Portage Regional Health Centre
Construction for the new Portage Regional Health Centre is well underway. A community information session was held on March 22, 2023 at Stride Place in Portage la Prairie. This session included an overview presentation, question and answer period and the opportunity to view several images displayed for public viewing.
Facility Features
The 269,0002ft facility will have 114 acute care patient beds, including medicine, surgical, rehabilitation, palliative care, maternity and special care. Every room will be single occupancy with a personal bathroom with shower, built in ergonomic supports such as ceiling tracks and mobility friendly features to ensure optimal safety throughout.
114 acute care inpatient beds
Increased day surgery capacity to allow more procedures locally and lessen the need to travel to Winnipeg, Brandon or elsewhere
Expanded emergency department designed to best practice standards including treatment and assessment rooms, a trauma room, stretcher bay, and ambulance bay
Enhanced spaces for programs including diagnostics, dialysis, palliative care and outpatient services including lab and rehabilitation
The new building design was inspired by the shape of crescent lake in Portage la Prairie, and incorporates existing elements of nature found in the area. One of the most prominent features of the new design is the emphasis on natural light. Large windows have been incorporated into the design and featured in every room, ensuring as much natural light as possible. Other exciting features include significant technology upgrades such as electronic health records, monitoring systems, automated dispensing cabinets, and switchable privacy glass.
Indigenous Health Services New Cultural Space
Southern Health-Santé Sud is committed to building and maintaining strong partnerships with Indigenous peoples and communities in order to continue to improve and sustain culturally safe programs and services, and the health care system as a whole. In line with this goal, a new cultural space with a design informed by Indigenous partners, will be featured in the new regional health centre.
Staff Informed Design – 3D Mockup Space
The design phase for the schematic phase is nearing the final stages. Staff and physicians have been engaged throughout the design process with several opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback. One of the critical phases of the design process included the creation of a 3D mock-up space for physicians and clinical staff to provide critical feedback on room designs and layout. Clinical staff from all specialties were invited to experience and analyze the true to size layouts of 14 clinical spaces including inpatient room, CancerCare treatment space, Emergency Department exam room and treatment bay, trauma room, operating theatre, clean supply room and many other clinical spaces.
The mockup spaces included true to size furniture, medical equipment, electrical outlets and windows made to exact dimensions. This setup allowed staff to orient themselves and provide very detailed feedback that ultimately resulted in several informed changes to the design and layout of these spaces.
This is the first instance of a mockup space for a Manitoba hospital project. The feedback from this endeavor will not only inform the design of the new Portage Regional Health Centre, but it will also inform other capital projects in the Southern Health-Santé Sud region.
To view the full tour of the Mock-up space, click here.
Project Completion
The new facility in Portage la Prairie is due to be completed in the fall of 2025.
What Matters to You Regarding this Project?
We value your feedback. Please reach out to us via email with any questions or concerns you may have regarding this project.
The temperature ‘Danger Zone’
Keep your family safe during hot summer months
If your family enjoys beach days, camping, picnics and going to the cabin, these tips may help you reduce your risk of food poisoning!
People are at higher food poisoning risk during summer because the warm, moist conditions are favourable for bacterial growth.
Foods high in protein, low in acid, and/or high in moisture content can spoil easily. Examples include meat, seafood, and dairy products.
Most opened sauces, dips, and spreads need to be stored in a cooler (refer to product packaging).
Keeping perishable foods in coolers filled with ice helps the food stay out of the danger zone. Freezing foods like raw meat can help keep the cooler at a safe temperature.
Putting raw meats at the bottom of the cooler in sealed containers will help prevent the transfer of harmful bacteria onto other foods in your cooler.
Keep coolers in the shade and limit the amount of time the cooler is open.
It is important to wash your hands with soap and warm water before and after handling food. If you do not have access to soap and water while you are out and about with your family, be sure to bring hand sanitizer along that has an alcohol content of at least 60%.
‘Danger Zone’
Have you ever heard of this term? Harmful bacteria grow best in what is called the temperature danger zone, which is 4°C to 60°C.
It is important to keep foods chilled below 4°C before cooking, and after cooking keep the hot food above 60°C. Do not let food sit in the danger zone for more than one hour on hot summer days.
Manitoba Government commitment to increased surgical capacity at Boundary Trails Health Centre provides care closer to home
The Manitoba government increased surgical capacity for hip and knee replacements and other orthopedic surgeries right here in Manitoba, providing more Manitobans a better quality of life and increased mobility as facilities like Boundary Trails Health Centre implement same-day surgeries, Health Minister Audrey Gordon announced on May 15th, 2023. To read the complete news release, access the Province of Manitoba | News Release.
Southern Health-Santé Sud – Discover Health Careers Expo
Step inside the world of healthcare and gain insight into many different health care professions. Talk to healthcare staff, participate in interactive displays and complete a bingo card for a chance to win a prize. We look forward to seeing you there!
Southern Health-Santé Sud is thrilled to host the following Discover Health Career Expos:
Northlands Parkway Collegiate (Gymnasium) Winkler – May 24th Students: 1:00-3:30 pm; Open to public: 3:30-7:00 pm
Portage Collegiate Institute (West Gymnasium) Portage la Prairie – May 31th Students: 1:00-3:30 pm; Open to public: 3:30-7:00 pm
Pat Porter Active Living Centre Steinbach – June 1st from 1:00-7:00 pm
Notre Dame Centennial Hall Notre Dame de Lourdes – June 7th from 1:00-7 :00 pm
