While the facility looks move-in ready, expectant mothers will have to wait a little longer to utilize the space.
The hospital has been plagued by years of delays, but the new $230 million Women’s Hospital is on track to open later this year, according to the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
Teams are preparing to move in, said Lynda Tjaden, the WRHA’s program director for women’s health.
“We had to wait until the building was completed and at this point, the planning has been going on well.”
The Woman’s Hospital was set to open its doors and start accepting patients in the fall of 2016, but that date was bumped to the fall of this year after a series of delays — shoring on Sherbrook Street collapsed in 2012 after a major rainstorm, there was a fire in an adjacent building in 2013, and unforeseen problems with electrical and plumbing work.
While the facility can’t yet be utilized by staff, they are training to prepare for move-in, said Tjaden.
“What we’ve tried to do with that is implement as many of these changes as early as possible so our staff could get used to a new way of work before they have to move into the building,” Tjaden said.
The budget for this project hasn’t seen any changes because of the delays, she added.
“There hasn’t been any additional cost to the taxpayers related to the time of the move into the new building.”
All of the high-tech medical gear is scheduled to be ordered and will arrive in the months ahead.
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