; SURROUNDED BY SUPPORTS fo

r the new lab area at Saanich.

News :

Peninsula Hospital is renovations superintendent Andrew
five-bed surgical Gay

Schenck. The project also includes a
= care. unit.

“Expansion OF tie: “Otek”:
Response ‘Team.-service. to: the»

Saanich Peninsula is welcomed by.»

“Saanich. Peninsula Hospital.

a administrator John Benham, :

"vice helps. provide short-term,»

intensive health care services: in

-the patient’s home, concentrating -

on the frail elderly, chronically ill,
terminally ill or physically handi-
capped.

-.. Benham said. the service pro-
vides support for paticnts being
discharged from the hospital and
may make the difference between

being in hospital. or: remaining al

home.

Once a chronically ill patient i is
in-an-acute care bed, the patient”

tends to stay” in that bed, Benham
said, He estimates 10 per cent of
the 75 acute. care beds in-the
Saanich Peninsula Hospital arc

taken by paticnts. who could. with

support, stay at home.
Quick response team manager
Lindsay Critchley agrees, “Over
the years many frail elderly penple
have. been admitted to acute care
hospitals or kept there longer than
“necessary because of insufficient
SUPPOFL services 1 ihe ¢ commun:
ity,” she. said, .
The quick response team has its

own liaison nurses, social workers,

home gare nurses, physiotherapists

wand oc cupational Therapists to pro.

—yvide “amicrogosm.of community

bealth care’ in the patient's home, -
Ue: service |
can prevent hospital admission orf

Immediate home

allow. for carly hospital discharge,
Benhans notes most patients prefer

to bein their own homes if help is.

uvaili able. -

Sinee the program hogan in

LOR, the response. tea, hits
eserved. more than 2,000 frail
elderly paticnts, keeping ihem
home: despite: a health crisis, As a

—resul, the number’ Of people inap-
propriately occupying acule care

hospital beds. has declined since
1986, So has the number of people.

A wting: nursing home placement.
Yersin: piner Canadian, cities

“those numbers have increased. .
A year ago program fi funding was

increased to provide service from.

8 a.m: until 12 midnight, 365 eds

 ayear
‘The Victoria Health’ Project ser- ae

Renovations at Saanich Penin-
sula Hospital will move day sur-
gery paticnts out of emergency and
acute Care dnd into a new five -bed

unit.

First step in the internal renova-
tions is construction of a new
laboratory accession area next to
emergency, followed by renovation
of the present accession area into a
five-bed ambulatory care unit.

The ambulatory care unit will be
used for day surgery patients and
for some minor procedures, like
scheduled blood transfusions,
which are now done in the emer-
gency ward. ,

“The five beds will be used ina
flexible way,” said hospital admin-
istrator John Benham.

‘The ambulatory care unit will
also house the ultra-sound equip-
ment, which is now in an over-
crowded X-ray department.

Once the work is finished in late
January, Benham said the hospital
will be able. to do morc surgery.
which does not require overnight.
hospital care, freeing acute care
beds and reducing wailing lists for
surgcry.

_ The hospital. had wailing lists of
up to nine wecks for surgery
carlier this year, caused .in part by
minor, surgery paticnts having tc

be booked i into acule carc E beds

the: health « care system, Benham —
~ said. As: people age, they require,

more health: care. :

“He suggests government | funding :
for peal care should take the age

- ‘Our service expansion _ |
beyond Victoria to the
. Peninsula. is a natural
_ progression’

“Our service expansion beyond
Victoria-to Sidney and the Penin-.
sula is really just a natural progres:

_gion,” said Critchicy. -

One quarter of Sidney "5 popula-

tion and 15 per cent of. Saanich |

and North Saanich’s
65.

are over age

One side effect of being a choice -

retirement. area ‘is the impact on

Sannichton, B.C. Vos EPO,

. Inserted hy the Associ ion for the:
Protection of Raval Central Saanich,
Box 21002, 7816 8. Saanich Road,

range of. the population into
account.

- Another solution is new options
‘in health care —~ like the Quick
Response Team.

~ “We're crealing options which
have never before been possible,”
said Critchley,

“Even more important are. the

positive feclings of the people .

Publicly,

ar Ci Wh.

tT Al

Wednesday, November 29, 1989 0

heReview

Day surgery unit fo free
Saanich Peninsula Hospital beds |

because no other space was availa-
ble.

The ambulatory care-unit can
also be used for patients attending
hospital for diagnostic procedures
using local anesthetic, At present,
such procedures must be done in
emergency as there is no other
space.

More use can be made of the
ultra-sound equipment once itis
moved out of the X-ray depart-

‘With the growing
increase in
population we are
facing a universal
problem of having
enough space’

el

ment, Benham said. The renova-
lions will also provide space for a
medical staff library.

He anticipated a full-time ultra-

sound technician and .two addi- ©

tional. registered nurses will be

‘required by the hospital to. serve.

the new care’ unit.
The new lab accession area will

provide space 10 collect samples —
from patients and the. give electro- -

cardiogram tests. The total renova-

served The vast majority are”
grateful: ‘forthe. opportunity to.
remain: in: er own: homes and, being at home.”

_ Aircraft ¢

CALL FOR PUBLIC FORUM

Central Saanich Council has announced that. only: “infor mation
~ gessions” will be held for the rewritten Official Community Plan.
Public input will be obtained by means of a “que estionnaire”,

There will:he. No Forum in whieh residents can voice their views

Doyo believe. that Gper meetings with council should he held to

premit: public input and discussion. into ie highly eantrovorsinly
“developme nt oriented” plan’?

; if 80, We Urge you to write ta: Mayor and Council,
District of Central Saanich, -

1903 Mount Newton Cross Road, Saanichton, B.C. VOS IMO

‘ton Cullis (Mayar) 1 GA2- wah:
Arlene Box, 652-
Kd Hermblad 652-2835;
Wayne Hunter 652-6234
’ ick Mar 642-9973;
Gary Valiquette 642-4813;
Wayne Watkins 692+ 1247

2297;

~ $40,000 in equipment, of which

‘care beds and 150 extended care
_ beds to serve an estimated popula-

Located in Peninsula Luggege ee

| Residential and
‘Commercial Specialists in
Rebuilding, Recovering &
Repairing Antique and
Quality Furniture |
~ WE SELL UPHOLSTERY
_ FABRIC AND SUPPLIES

656-7442

_#5-9764 5th Street, Sidney, BC.

tion is being done by Norcad
Construction Ltd. of Brentwood
Bay for $220,000 and is funded 60
per cent by the province and 40
per cent: by. the Capital Regional
District. °

The care unit will require

two-thirds will be provided. by the
regional district and one-third by
the province.

Benham noted provincial gov-
ernment funding for the hospital’s
operating costs incrcascd by $1.3
million in 1989 over 1988, reflect-
ing the growing numbers served by
the hospital.

The hospital now has-75 acute

tion of 40,000 people on the

“Peninsula and on some Gulf

Islands. By the year 2000, that
population is expected to increase
to.50,000, Benham said.

“With the growing increase in

population we are facing a univer-

sal problem | of having enougi
space.”

The hospital opened a new lab
last January. but, Benham said,

‘already I think itis too small.”

The hospital operates four satcl-
lite labs, one cach in Sidney,
Brentwood, Saanichton and on
Pender Island.

firmly believe. the ality of their -
‘lives “is. immeasurably better’ for.

~ Gwenr UPHOLSTERY |

Marine * Commercial

at