View From the Legislature

Last week I was pleased to announce that The Bethesda Regional Health Centre in Steinbach will get a multi-million dollar upgrade of its heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. This system will also improve air quality at the Health Centre, something that is critical for patients, workers and operating room functionality.

As many may be aware, there are parts of the building where maintaining the right temperature within the facility has been problematic, which is not optimal in terms of keeping portions of the hospital functioning in the summer because of high humidity. There are several distinct pieces of work which will come together to provide improved cooling and de-humidification for the facility, including the operating rooms. In order to achieve this, a tender will soon be issued for a construction manager who will then solicit bids for various aspects of the work, which will take some time to complete due to the size and complicated nature of the project.

It is certainly a challenge to upgrade a large health facility while it continues to service the public in a safe and practical way. Having a manager in place will ensure that these day to day issues can be addressed accordingly. A project of this size will significantly improve the interior environment for patients, visitors and staff and is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to ensure health-care facilities in Manitoba remain in good repair and continue to meet provincial, national and international standards.

This project follows on from an announcement in February, where I announced that the health centre’s roof would be replaced as part of multi-million investments in maintaining health-care facilities across the province. The air conditioning upgrades are expected to be fully operational by 2020. As a regional health centre, Bethesda is a key health facility for the entire southeast. This is a significant and a long-term project which will ensure the viability of Bethesda for years to come.