New Brunswick’s provincial government is investing around $1.3 million in hospital equipment.

Edmundston Regional Hospital and l’Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Joseph de Saint-Quentin, which are located in northwest New Brunswick will be receiving equipment. While the latter is getting an echocardiogram, Edmundston will receive a new X-ray machine and an X-ray fluoroscopy machine.

"I am pleased that our government's responsible fiscal management is making possible to re-invest a portion of the savings in important equipment,” says Health Minister Hugh Flemming. "Upgrading aging technology will ensure that our health-care system is sustainable for future generations."

The Department of Health has dedicated $25 million of its $53.2 capital budget for 2013-2014 to equipment and maintenance. Infrastructure improvements account for $4 million of the budget. 

Photo courtesy Canadian Red Cross

The Canadian Red Cross has deployed a state-of-the-art field hospital to the Philippines to support communities affected by Super Typhoon Haiyan.

The field hospital will be supporting the Philippine Red Cross and local health authorities. More than 618,000 people have been displaced as a result of the Typhoon. Flooding, landslides and damaged infrastructure are continuing to cause problems in accessing the hardest hit communities.

The field hospital, which can cover the needs of a population of more than 100,000 people, will provide basic health and surgical care to the communities. As many as 300 people can be treated as out-patients per day, while there is a surgical capacity of up to 70 inpatients beds.

The Norwegian Red Cross and Hong Kong Red Cross are supplying personnel and supplies to the hospital to support the core team of 12 Canadian medical and support staff. The emergency response unit is part of a strategic partnership between the Red Cross and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.

Durham Region's Lakeridge Health was named Green Hospital of the Year at the Green Health Care Awards at the HealthAchieve conference in early November.

The awards, which are sponsored by the Ontario Hospital Association and the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care, honour environmental initiatives in the health care sector.

Lakeridge was recognized for its multifaceted Energy Retrofit Project. The project was developed with Ecosystem, an ISO-certified Canadian firm that specializes in deep energy retrofits, to improve energy efficiency at the hospital's four sites.

Features of the project include solar photovoltaic panel installation, LED lighting for the outdoor parking structure and conversion of several steam heating systems to hot water. A 1.6 megawatt cogeneration is in the works for the Oshawa site. It is expected that the project will generate more than $1.3 million in savings annually.

"The savings achieved by Lakeridge Health from this project will offer tangible benefits to the Ontario healthcare system and taxpayers," says Andre Rochette, President and CEO of Ecosystem. "We are excited to have played such a significant role in transforming the hospital to a model of 21st century energy efficiency."

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) has been named the top hospital in Ontario for pediatric inpatient satisfaction.

According to the National Research Corporation Canada/Ontario Hospital Association’s report, Patient Ratings of Overall Care and Likelihood to Recommend Ontario Hospitals, CHEO received the highest ranking from pediatric patients and their parents.

“This is just the beginning. CHEOnext, our strategic plan, focuses on providing an exceptional experience for every patient and family,” says Alex Munter, President and CEO of CHEO. “CHEO’s aim is to go from really good to really great by engaging patients and parents in every facet of care, listening to their feedback and using it to continuously improve.”

Survey respondents were provided with a list of 27 hospitals and asked to indicate their overall satisfaction with inpatient care. The report surveyed patients who had an inpatient stay or made an emergency department visit between April 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012.

Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children also ranked high for pediatric inpatient care. It was named the hospital patients would most likely recommend to others.

Western Carolina University's (WCU) Health and Human Sciences Building has been honoured for its architectural design, winning wards from two chapters of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

The build was design by PBC+L (now Clark Nexsen), who were recognized with a Design Merit Award for the WCU building by the North Carolina chapter of AIA. The firm also was named a recipient of one of the Architecture Honor Awards from the Virginia Society of the AIA.

The building was honoured for offering a "successful contrast to the natural setting out of which it grows" and "carefully pushes in the hillside contours, preserving a sensitive environment and gracefully stepping down the site," says a written statement from judges in the Virginia competition.

The four-storey, 160,000 square foot building has customized classrooms and seminar rooms, and 21 specialized labs for students in health-related programs. The Health and Human Sciences Building brings students and faculty from disciplines including nursing, physical therapy, communication sciences and disorders, social work, athletic training, emergency medical care and environmental health under one roof.

"As a facility, it provides well-designed space in a very hospitable environment to allow this interaction to take place," says Galen May, university architect. "The size also allows for programs to grow."

The building was designed to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly, and recently received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.