October 7, 2010
Improved Access to Health and Social Services to be Provided for St. James Area: Oswald
A new multi-service centre called ACCESS St. James will be located on the Grace Hospital grounds, the fifth provincial one-stop health and social services centre in Winnipeg, Health Minister Theresa Oswald and Family Services and Consumer Affairs Minister Gord Mackintosh announced today.
“The ACCESS centre concept is an effective way to provide a number of health, social and community services and supports for area residents,” said Oswald. “ACCESS St. James will be the fifth centre integrating and co-locating a wide range of servicesto provide a holistic approach to service delivery, accessible services and improved continuity of care within the community area.”
ACCESS St. James will be located on the Grace General Hospital campus in west Winnipeg. The building will integrate primary care with community health and social services. Manitoba Family Services and Consumer Affairs will be located in the same facility.
“ACCESS centres allow health professionals to promote healthy living and illness prevention while offering timely treatment for patients and referrals to specialized care when needed,” Mackintosh said. “These centres can also partner with social services, housing authorities and education facilities to address the health of people in the neighbourhoods they serve.”
Arlene Wilgosh, president and CEO of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA), said ACCESS St. James will differ from other ACCESS centres because of its location on the grounds of the Grace Hospital. “This site provides the opportunity to enhance the co-ordination of services to clients as they move from the community to hospital and then back to the community,” she said. “The unique relationship with the Grace Hospital Foundation is also a first, having a non-profit organization develop, own and manage the property with any revenues being reinvested into health care.”
Plans for ACCESS St. James have been developed through a partnership between Manitoba Health, Manitoba Family Services and Consumer Affairs, the WRHA and the Grace Hospital Foundation.
“We are impressed and pleased with the visionary thinking that the province and the WRHA have put into this model,” said Pearl McGonigal, chair of the board of directors of Grace Hospital Foundation and the chair of the board of directors of ACCESS St. James. “This is a doorway to a new era in service at the Grace and the new ACCESS St. James will complement the many services provided through the hospital.”
Grace Hospital Foundation is constructing the base building and Manitoba Health’s capital program is funding the tenant improvements. Construction is expected to begin in the next few months with completion set for 2012.
The other centres in Winnipeg are ACCESS River East, which opened in 2004 and ACCESS Transcona, which opened in 2007. ACCESS Downtown was recently opened and construction of ACCESS Nor’West at Keewatin and Burrows is expected to be operational in 2012.
- 30 -