Health officials have released a new timeline for changes to Winnipeg’s emergency rooms.
The closure of Concordia Hospital’s ER is now scheduled for June 2019. The ER at Seven Oaks General Hospital will convert to an Urgent Care centre in September of the same year.
The WRHA released new details of what it is calling “Phase II” of its healthcare reform plan on Thursday.
The closures and conversions will follow renovations to the emergency rooms at both the Health Sciences Centre and St. Boniface Hospital.
READ: St. Boniface emergency department getting an upgrade
In a statement, the WRHA said those renovations would be done before the closure of Concordia.
“It is important we pace the changes appropriately to ensure the right resources are in place to provide the safest, most timely care to our patients and their families,” Lori Lamont, acting chief operating officer with the WRHA, said.
“It’s important that we get it done right; not that we get it done tomorrow.”
Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen echoed Lamont’s statements.
“We don’t judge the results by perfection,” Goertzen said. “We know that there are going to be things that are unexpected and all that we can really do is to ensure when things happen, that the response is a good response.”
READ: New Grace Hospital ER ready to open its doors
On Tuesday, a newly renovated Grace Hospital opened its doors.
The space at Grace’s ER is now five times the old one, with more than $43 million spent in renovations.
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