Plan review continues for cancer centre; goal is for finish by year's end

A team of medical staff has been going over the plans for the centre, making adjustments where needed, and was scheduled to review a redrafted set of plans Monday of this week, according to a hospital spokesperson.

“Once the floor plan is final, the architect will draw up blueprints and a company (M & R Engineering) will draw up the mechanical and electrical plan and specifications,” said Barbara Johnson, communications director with South West Health.

Once this is done, officials would look to go to tender around the end of May, with construction likely starting between July 1 and 15, depending on factors like the availability of trades, she said, adding that the project is on target for completion by year’s end.

The centre, which will bring together various cancer services now housed in different parts of the hospital, will be located on the fourth floor of the hospital’s Building C.

On Jan. 11 Health Minister Chris d’Entremont visited the site to announce $450,000 in provincial government funding for the project.

Since that time “a fair bit of work” has gone into examining the floor plan for the centre and making changes here and there, “just making sure that we’ve got it right before we go to the next stage,” Johnson said.

As part of this process, she said the team of staff members working on the project has been “mentally walking patients through the (proposed) layout…making last-minute tweaks.”

Blaise MacNeil, the South West Health CEO and one of the speakers on hand when the health minister made the funding announcement, indicated at that time that the new centre would be a welcome addition to the hospital from the perspective of both patients and staff.

“We are looking forward to a more comfortable and convenient atmosphere for patients and their families, as well as for the health professionals who work in the space everyday,” he said.