Improving patient care

Lab services areas upgraded at Eastern Kings Memorial in Wolfville

Upgrades complete at Eastern Kings Memorial Community Health Centre

Recent upgrades to the lab services area of a health clinic in Wolfville have not only improved its equipment and waiting area, but its patients’ overall experience, according to the site lead.

Updates were announced to the Lab Services area of the Eastern Kings Memorial Community Health Centre in Wolfville Sept. 27.

Sue Daniels, the clinic’s site lead, said the upgrades include a pre-collection waiting room, a new centrifuge and adjustable patient chairs. She said these upgrades mean the clinic’s flow is smoother, and appointment times have decreased by 30 seconds to one minute.

“The number one thing is improved patient experience. It’s improved our flow, our efficiency, improved our work space, and has improved our use of our space,” she said.

The upgrades are the result of aid and items donated by the Grand Pré Women’s Institute, the Port Williams Health Auxiliary and the EKM Health Foundation. Two volunteers also now work exclusively to help patients register and find the new waiting area.

“They’re directing traffic. Those volunteers are key — they’re the hands-on part of this,” said Daniels.

The clinic was inspired to rethink its space use after a visit from the fire marshal, who advised the clinic to work on decluttering storage spaces, said Daniels. The pre-collection room was created after an area used for storage was cleared out and repurposed.

“We thought ‘let’s reorganize.’ We’ve managed to free up some significant spaces, and that got us looking at the space where the pre-collection room is now,” said Daniels.

The clinic’s new centrifuge and its data logging system will be used to spin and process blood samples, and ensure samples remain at the proper temperature during storage and transportation to the Valley Regional Hospital.

Daniels said the clinic normally sees 70 to 120 people for lab services each day. She said the building is well-used, but that she and several other staff will continue searching for other ways to reconfigure its space for even more upgrades to patient experience.

“We’re trying to promote good health and healthy living, and we want this to be a service centre for the community,” said Daniels.

SARA ERICSSON One of several upgrades announced at the Eastern Kings Memorial Community Health Centre in Wolfville Sept. 27 was this pre-collection room used by the lab services department. The space was previously used for storage.

SARA ERICSSON Also revealed were new chairs for patients to sit in during their collection appointments.

SARA ERICSSON A new centrifuge and data logging system to track blood sample temperatures was among the other upgrades announced.