As construction of the new East Prince Health facility to replace the Prince County Hospital continues to move along at a rapid pace, facility planners are developing operational details related to the opening of the facility.
The new access road off Granville Street in Summerside marks the facility location as it winds off into the site where the facility itself is quickly taking shape.
As traffic passes by the site, a significant portion of the first level of the facility structure is visible. There is also a huge sign on Granville Street with an artist rendering of the completed facility.
Work began late June on the northeast corner of the building known as the ambulatory care wing and has moved across the structure in a southwest direction towards the inpatient areas in the facility.
All foundation work was recently completed and the structural concrete slab making up the second level floor system is well underway. East Prince Partnerships Limited, the consortium contracted to construct the facility, aims to have most of the structural system completed by the end of November with temporary enclosures and heating systems in place to facilitate interior work over the winter months.
Over the coming weeks, water, sewer and drainage infrastructure will be completed along with landscaping and seeding. Curbing and paving will be performed on the entrance road off Granville Street and the parking lots surrounding the facility.
Paving will complete most of the site work and allow East Prince Partnerships to fully focus their efforts on the building itself. Pavement will also provide easier access to the site and provide a finished staging area for the construction activities that follow.
Back at the Lidstone Avenue planning office, activities continue in many areas such as the development of wayfinding (creating methods for staff and public to find their way through the facility through signage, color schemes) and signage translation.
Planners are working with staff to review material color schemes for items such as draperies. Planners are consulting with architects while being mindful of the psychology behind color schemes and material choices.
The planning team is also working with the East Prince Health Human Resource Department to develop a transition plan to prepare for the move to the new facility.
The transition plan will involve development of necessary training efforts, preparation for the physical move, packing up departments, and a plan to enable both Prince County Hospital and the new facility to operate briefly at the same time.
Planners have determined that there are approximately 5000 pieces of equipment and furniture from the Prince County Hospital which need to be moved prior to the opening of the new facility.
An additional 4500 pieces of equipment will be purchased. The Prince County Hospital Foundation "Bring Good Health to Life" Campaign, which raised 13 million dollars over the past few years, has made these purchases possible. Planners are conducting equipment trials with hospital staff to ensure effectiveness of equipment in the new facility.
Planning is also underway for moving sensitive equipment such as Operating Room lights which will have to be removed from the Prince County Hospital, transported, installed and retested at the new site.
The planning team is assisting the development of new security policies for the facility. For example, there are 897 doors in the facility to consider when developing policies for key usage and security.
Staff, physicians and volunteers have to also prepare new fire and disaster plans which will be tested and mocked in the new facility prior to the move.
Imagining how all these elements come together for the move is the task of the project planning team who are working closely with staff, physicians and volunteers throughout the * East Prince Health Region [to Nov 2005].