News Releases

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE - A newly expanded Portage District General Hospital emergency room with $5-million in improvements to expand its area and improve care is now open to serve the area, Health Minister Theresa Oswald announced here today.

 

“Critically-ill patients need high-quality care quickly and this new emergency department will meet that need,” Oswald said. “This project nearly doubles the size of the treatment area while creating a more efficient space to strengthen the delivery of quality emergency care to patients here in Portage la Prairie.”

 

The redevelopment of Portage’s acute-care emergency room includes:

·         five additional emergency treatment spaces, bringing the total number of spaces to 11, one of which is a negative‑pressure isolation room used to prevent the spread of communicable diseases;

·         an additional two observation beds as part of a six-bed special care unit including a
negative-pressure isolation room used to prevent the spread of communicable diseases;

·         an improved triage area;

·         improved infection control;

·         enhanced privacy; and

·         a new double ambulance bay replacing the existing single bay.

 

“Emergency rooms are often the busiest part of any hospital, with staff providing life-saving care to hundreds of central region residents every year,” said Kathy McPhail, chief executive officer of the Regional Health Authority – Central Manitoba. “Through collaborative efforts and valued partnerships, collectively we can meet our mandate to achieve the best possible health outcomes for our community.”

 

The minister noted the redevelopment of the emergency room follows a number of recent health-care investments in Portage including:

·         a $2.1-million capital investment in a CT scanner,