OLDS — The province says work is underway on a $2 million medical device reprocessing (MDR) upgrade at the Olds Hospital and Care Centre.
Half of that money was announced in March 2021, then re-announced about a month later when then Health Minister Tyler Shandro held a press conference at the Olds hospital.
MDR ensures that medical devices are cleaned and sterilized properly, reducing the risk and spread of infections caused by viruses and other threats to staff and patients.
The project will include renovations to improve workflow as well as equipment upgrades. Work on the MDR renovations is expected to be completed this summer.
A provincial government news release issued in recent weeks says funding for the project comes from the province’s Rural Health Facilities Revitalization Program.
A further $5.5 million of government funding is currently being spent on other ongoing upgrades at the health centre, including parking lot resurfacing, replacement of a cooling unit, roof repairs and a new nurse call system. Some of that work got underway in 2021 as well.
That announcement was reported in the Albertan at the time.
“The budget for the MDR project includes the initial $1 million previously announced, as well as an additional $1 million, based on the cost estimates completed as part of the project planning and design phase to cover not only construction materials, but furniture and additional equipment,” Alberta Health Services central zone communications director Heather Kipling said in an email.
“The increase also builds in a contingency to ensure that if the project scope changes during the actual construction that funding is readily available, and the project is not delayed.
“We expect that the project costs will come in under budget at this time.”
Kipling said work on the nurse call system will be “substantially complete” by summer.
The Albertan asked if the project had been impacted by supply chain issues. Kipling said it had not.
The parking lot upgrade began in the summer of 2021.
“While the staff and visitor parking lots have been completed, the service loading dock for supplies and shipping is also part of the project scope, and it remains to be completed,” Kipling wrote.
She anticipates the remaining parts of that work will be completed by this summer.
"Remaining groundwork will be completed as weather permits,” she wrote.
