10 years at the Colchester East Hants Health Centre
TRURO — Looking back on 10 years, the Colchester East Hants Health Centre building on Abenaki Road in Truro has transformed patient care in the region.
“We're very fortunate,” said health services manager Raj Makkar. “It’s a spectacular building … it doesn't feel like a hospital – it feels more like a home or more of a healing environment.”
More than a decade of planning went into the design of the health centre, which has won three architectural design awards within Canada and internationally. For Makkar – who was part of that planning – the windows were a major difference from the former 1960s Colchester Regional Hospital on Willow Street.
“All of the patient rooms, whether you're in ICU or dialysis, have a window – and we all know that seeing that natural light promotes such a healing environment,” said Makkar. “So it's incredible. It's amazing for those individuals and it's obviously great for the staff to be able to come here and work here.”
There were about 150 staff that helped move 88 patients in 2012. Out of the 1,000 current staff members associated with the hospital site, 20 per cent of them were a part of the initial cohort of staff 10 years ago.
Makkar said the community raised more than $26 million towards the project budget of $125 million (the total was slightly more due to inflation).
The 346,790 sq-ft low-rise hospital has capacity for about 120 beds with five inpatient units. Having more physical space compared to the previous 1960s hospital has been a game-changer to keep infection control protocols going during COVID and for doubling up during emergencies.
“We simply would not have been able to follow infection control protocols during the pandemic in the old hospital,” wrote Dr. Kris Srivatsa, COVID physician lead for the Northern Zone.
Not only has the team persevered and responded to the pandemic, but it has also dealt with tragedies such as the 2020 mass shootings and road accidents.
“We’ve had a lot of terrible things happen in this community, but everyone gathered together and we did what we had to do,” said Heather Wolfe, site lead and director of health services. “I’m very proud of that.”
Wolfe, who was also part of the hospital planning, said the building is hardwired and designed in a way so that it can take on future technology. A new simulation lab is going to be helping staff obtain reallife experience before such events happen. The funding for this was raised by the Colchester Hospital Auxiliary, which recently celebrated 100 years of serving and supporting the local hospital.
As they look to the future, one unanticipated challenge during planning has come up.
“Our population is now growing – it wasn't going to when we built the hospital,” said Wolfe. “So it's very interesting as the corridor towards Halifax expands – that's a community that we serve. So we're seeing more babies being born. We're seeing more volumes. It just happened during COVID – people moved here. ”
With COVID protocols still in effect and staff busy dealing with a full flu season, the Nov. 25 celebration was small but nonetheless special. Staff got to visit a decorated room, share their memories and grab some cake and apples for sustenance.
Makkar said healthcare professionals are people too – no matter what is happening in their lives, a switch is flicked when they get into work and focus on caring for others.
“For me and I think for everyone that's involved in healthcare, that profession chooses you,” said Makkar. “It's just one of those things … at some point in your life you may have a family (connection) or something, but it's almost like a calling that chooses you, really."