Construction of the initial phase of the expansion of a northeast Calgary hospital’s emergency department, prompted by increased patient demand, is now complete.
The provincial government offered a tour Tuesday of the recent renovations to the Peter Lougheed Centre, which now boasts a larger, upgraded triage area, modern care spaces and an improved resuscitation and trauma space.
The expanded ER area will welcome patients as of Aug. 29.
The next phase of the $137-million redevelopment is set to begin this fall and is slated to include:
- two additional portable X-ray machines
- 25 additional care spaces
- four additional bedside ultrasound machines
- a bladder scanner
The square footage of the emergency department will double from the pre-renovation size (originally 2,300 square feet) to 4,600 square feet once the project, which is scheduled to be finished in 2025, is complete.
The hospital opened in 1988 with an emergency department designed to accommodate up to 40,000 patients each year. In 2022, the department saw nearly 73,000 visits.