Krista Wood, director of public relations for Colchester East Hants Health Authority in Canada’s Nova Scotia, describes enthusiastically a new 124-bed health centre that opened late last year, which not only has the potential to conserve 44 per cent more energy than a ‘traditional’ hospital, but is also better equipped, and almost a third bigger, than the facility it replaces.
On 25 November last year, the new Colchester East Hants Health Centre opened in Truro, Nova Scotia, to serve residents of Colchester East Hants and neighbouring communities. The facility replaced the Colchester Regional Hospital, which first opened in 1926, and expanded in the 1960s and 1980s. The Colchester East Hants Health Centre was designed and constructed to promote health and healing through its connection to nature and natural light. One of the first things that strikes visitors as they walk through the front door is the abundance of natural light, and a great view of the healing gardens; just one of several gardens nestled amongst the facility’s various wings.
Large patient rooms and operating theatres
At 368,000 square feet, the Colchester East Hants Health Centre is 30 per cent larger than the Colchester Regional Hospital, with larger patient rooms and operating theatres, and expanded capacity for surgical services, dialysis, and ambulatory services such as chemotherapy. The emergency department was constructed to be 50 per cent larger, and while the department opened with the same level of staffing as the previous facility, the additional space allows for greater privacy and space to grow into in the future. The facility is also home to a new palliative care unit, a new MRI service, and a helipad for rapid transport, and has the capacity for up to 124 beds.
Log in or register FREE to read the rest
This story is Premium Content and is only available to registered users. Please log in at the top of the page to view the full text.
If you don't already have an account, please register with us completely free of charge.
