Vernon Jubilee Hospital
(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)
September 19, 2015 - 10:34 AM
VERNON - Vernon Jubilee Hospital’s old emergency department has been transformed.
Left empty after the emergency department moved to the Polson Tower in 2011, the space was renovated to house the hospital’s pharmacy. Those renovations, which began in early 2014, are now complete, and the new pharmacy — previously located in the basement — becomes operational Sept. 22. The pharmacy had not been upgraded since 1982.
“The new and larger pharmacy means an added level of care at Vernon Jubilee Hospital,” Health Minister Terry Lake said in a media release. “The expansion will benefit patients and health professionals, offering enhanced access to the latest pharmaceutical equipment.”
The new pharmacy is double the size of its predecessor and features upgraded equipment including a new chemotherapy preparation room and sterile hood to make chemotherapy medications, enhanced work spaces and a sterile compounding room for the preparation of intravenous medications.
“What great news for the hospital and for all of us in the area that benefit from such a high quality facility,” Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster said. “Leveraging spaces like this allows us to continue providing quality patient care while saving funding for other projects at the hospital. It’s a real win-win.”
The $2.2 million project was jointly funded by the province and the North Okanagan Columbia Shuswap Regional Hospital District. The Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation donated equipment for the expanded pharmacy through fundraising efforts.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015