New intensive care unit coming to Fredericton hospital
Fredericton's Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital will be opening a new intensive care unit next month.
"The equipment is more technical and it’s bigger, and we need more space to be able to keep up with the best practices,” said Amy McCavour, the regional director for surgery and care.
The unit cost a reported $21.75 million and is expected to bring the number of beds up from eight to 12.
According to a news release from the province, each patient room will be private with its own bathroom and window.
Seven of those beds will be ready in a couple of weeks, but the rest can only open as staff fill positions for the unit.
"[Human resources] has always been a challenge lately and we know that,” said Minister of Health Bruce Fitch.
“That's why we've developed a group in the Department of Health and hired an executive director of recruitment, and they've got plans that are going to coordinate with the [Regional Health Authorities] and with the department,” Fitch said.
Fitch noted recruitment is already taking place to bring in more physicians and registered nurses to the province.
“We're not just limiting it to the additional seats that we put in place, because that will take the time for those individuals to go through the training and be on the floor,” he said.
The opposition says they're happy to see the project, which was announced by the former Liberal government in 2016, come to fruition.
"It's one thing to open these new beds but it's another to staff them,” said Rob McKee, the N.B. Liberal health critic.
“I don't think they've been doing the best job recruiting over the last year. I think it was something that was more of an afterthought when they came out with their reform plan on health care. But with pressure from us and other stakeholders over the last year, it seems like they've ramped it up a little bit,” he said.
The provincial government says opening the unit is just one phase of a $250 million dollar project modernizing maternal and newborn, surgical care, and day surgery environments, which should be completed by March 2024.
"Overall, our government is committed to spending $176 million in capital health-care infrastructure in the 2023-24 year, and of this total, $95 million will be for renovations and additions and other improvements around the province,” said Minister Fitch.
Despite the hiring challenges, the new Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital ICU wing will officially open on Feb. 14.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.