Karen McGrath, the CEO of Central Health, was a happy camper on August 23.
McGrath said that she was pleased with the government’s announcement that residents in the Gander area in particular and in the Central Health region in general, will receive enhanced health care services in the near future.
The Honourable Jerome Kennedy, the provincial Minister of Health and Community Services was in Gander on August 23, along with Ms. McGrath, Kevin O’Brien, MHA for Gander and Claude Elliott, Mayor of Gander, to announce $3.7 million in Provincial Government for Central Health.
The money announced will be used for the funding of new medical equipment and repairs and renovations to the James Paton Memorial Regional Hospital and Lakeside Homes.
McGrath said, “The significant investment by government into this secondary health care facility will dramatically assist Central health fulfill its mandate of healthy people in healthy communities. The purchase of new patient care and support equipment in our James Paton Centre will allow us to provide the necessary back-up to our more rural sites.
The CEO emphasized that any investment in the two secondary health care facilities in Central Health – Grand Falls-Windsor and Gander – is good for all residents in the Central Health region.
One specific example of how the announcement today will benefit residents in the Coast of Bays is through the announced regional transcription system.
McGrath said, “Residents in the COB needing orthopedic surgery have to be admitted to James Paton as that is the only facility where specialists perform this procedure.
The regional transcription system announced today means that our orthopedic surgeons will now be able to dictate the procedures they perform on a patient much faster than they could before.
“The patients’ physicians back in the COB will now likely have a patient’s discharge information much faster because of this new system.”
This Provincial Government investment for the James Paton Memorial Regional Health Centre includes $375,000 for a regional transcription system; $300,000 for the purchase of two new ambulances; $250,000 for two new chemistry analyzers; $250,000 for an automatic medicine dispensing system; $225,000 for the replacement of nine dialysis machines; $225,000 for a new cardiology management system; $150,000 for drug storage units; $110,000 for multi-plate computed radiography readers; $108,000 for a meal delivery system; $100,000 for an operating room management system; $83,700 for laboratory equipment; $83,000 for endoscopy equipment; $80,000 for mammography biopsy upgrade equipment; and, $57,000 for other patient care and support equipment. Repairs and renovations to the facility include $275,000 for elevator upgrades; $275,000 for pharmacy upgrades for chemotherapy; and, $140,000 for the replacement of windows and fuel tanks.
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