A10- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 17, 2000 Ambitious $8 million wanted for ‘old, tired’ hospital facility By ALEX HAMILTON MILLS MEMORIAL Hos- pital’s chief administrator fears the hospital will need replacing — costing tax- payers millions - if atten- tion isn’t paid to upgrades and renovations soon. Dieter Kuntz called Mills Memorial an ‘old, tired building that needs a | face-lift..and. new.-cquip-. ment. “Patients deserve a het- ter environment than: what they have,” Kuntz said at the Terrace -and. Area Community Health Coun- cil meeting May 11. The health council has assembled a list of equip- ment and renovations the hospital will need over the next three years, estima- ting the total cost at $8 million. But how much the health council will get ul- timately depends upon how ‘much the health mini- siry is willing to give. Top on the priority tis for major capital construc- tion:costs is‘replacing the -hospital's- boilers-and hot. water tanks, which, ac- _ cording: Kuntz, “are “on their last legs.” The repla-_ cement costs. are estima- ted at about $310,000." Next.on the priority list is upgrading Mills Memor- ial’s.. original elevators, which are 40 years old. This is estimated at $135,000. More nurses on wish list THE TERRACE and Area Health Council wants to hire more nurses and has put the required costs into a provisional budget for this year. But it won’t know what's possible until the provincial government tells it what its budget will actually be, says Dieter Kuntz, the health council’s chief executive. In a perfect world, the health council wants to add 4.25 full time equiva- lent nursing positions on the main ward at Mills Memorial Hospital and a .25 full time equivalent in its three-bed intensive care unit. Nursing shortages caused by various kinds of leaves over the past year have forced admission re- strictions at Mills. The shortages also be- came the focus of criti- cisms directed at the: health ‘council about the“ ability of the hospital to function properly. “We have simply pre- pared a working document. It’s impossible to say what will be possible until we hear from the provincial government,” said Kuntz. While it may sound as if the health council is getting ahead of itself, Kuntz continued, it wants lo be in a position to act as fast as possible once it knows what its budget will be for this year. “It is a wish list - a best case scenario,” he said of the proposed bud- . get document. The health council ended its last financial year March 31 with indi- cations there could be a small surplus on a budget of approximately $20 mil- lion. . If that holds once a final audit is done, it would represent a turn around from the year pre- vious when a deficit of more than $600,000 was racked up. That lead to warnings — the health council! would be virtually insolvent by, _this year if there wasn't a change. ; The health council did, receive a budget increase: of $886,000 in its budget year just concluded. “I don’t think that’s the scenario right now,” said Kuntz of the possibility of another large deficit. “We're looking at a small surplus, not a large one.” He expects details on Get down Lose those extra pounds by watehing what you eat, exercising regularly and consulting S panreneon ae your doctor. wew porlitipaction.com: } Fray what the province will give the health council to spend sometime this month. A final audit on the health council’s last bud- get year could take a bit - longer than that to finish. The third priority in- cludes upgrading the has- pital’s second floor esti- maled al a cost of $1.7 million. Also on the list are: creating a six-bay hemo- dialysis unit, upgrading the main-floor, basement floor and -helicopter pad, and upgrading the: parking lot -and--outside-tighting. Also planned is adding a 20-bed wing for long term-care. patients at Ter- raceview Lodge which is also: run by the health council, Topping the list for equipment purchases cast- ing more than $100,000 is an upgrade of the X-ray unit to a digital unit. The estimated cost is $59,000, Next on the list is re- placing the gamma ca- mera {used in nuclear medicine), costing $600,000. Another priority includes purchasing 20 new beds and 15 stretchers at a cost of $210,000. The hospital also wants ta purchase a $350,000-pa- tient care software system, which is currently being used in hospitals in Kiti- mat and in Prince Rupert. The top priority for* Dieter Kuntz minor capital costs, which include any construction or * equipment semi-perman- ently or permanently atla- ched to the building worth less than $100,000, is up- grading the hospital’s transfer switch. This switch is responsible for transfer- ring power to generators in case of power failure. Other priorities include renovating the lab recep- tion area, rewiring the data/communication line, retrofitting a steriliser, and upgrading the doctors’ re- gistry system. Your neighbourhood Chrysler, Dodge; Jeeps Retailers present, es : oe LEASE FOR shade eae 4 248 OR PURGHASE-FOR 590% FREIGHT (INCLUDED. A" Caravan Canada’s best selling minivans for 16 years. CANABA’S BEST-SELLING MINIVAN amonth for 34 months. 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