Capital Construction Project Update | January 2025

Neepawa Health Centre

Construction on the new Neepawa Health Centre is approximately half-way through completion. The building is sealed and watertight, with nearly all of the exterior building envelope completed including cladding, masonry and roofing.

Work to develop the 39 acre site, including a new heliport, is progressing nicely; landscape development, paving and curbs for parking lots are now visible, with asphalt work to begin in 2025.

In 2025, the primary focus will continue to be on the interior, building out all of the various hospital clinical program areas and public spaces. It’s anticipated the building will be turned over to Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) in mid-2026 to begin several months of staff training, prior to seeing the first patient in the new facility in late 2026 or early 2027.

Brandon Regional Health Centre (BRHC)

Construction to expand clinical spaces within the BRHC campus continues, with work on the new critical care bed tower addition approximately 70 per cent complete. Work continues in January to complete the structural steel for the 4^th floor link. Flooring is complete in both wings on the main floor and north wing on the 2^nd floor. On the first floor, drywall is painted and wall protection installed.

The ‘eyebrow’ architectural feature on the 4^th floor of the building’s east side is closed in with windows expected to arrive and be installed in 2025.

The latest schedule will have the first patients arriving within the new areas during winter of 2026.

BRHC Construction, northwest view and the main floor work on the new north wing.

Western Manitoba Cancer Centre (WMCC) Brandon

Construction on the expanded and renovated Construction on the expanded and renovated WMCC which serves as a regional cancer hub, is nearly complete. The 9,418-sq.-ft. oncology expansion will feature six exam rooms and one area for minor procedures. The minor procedure room will be utilized for radiation oncology, Telehealth appointments, as well as future planning for additional services (to be determined in collaboration with PMH and CancerCare Manitoba (CCMB).

Some exterior finishing work is expected to be completed in the new year. Space for the new medical linear accelerator, used for delivering external beam radiation treatments to patients, has been used for treatment since early November.

The new ‘Paul Albrechtsen Centre for Hope’ is dedicated to providing additional recovery support and counselling resources for patients.

In addition to the expansion of exam rooms, the new linear accelerator and the Centre for Hope, an expansion of interdisciplinary team members to support patients across PMH is an important piece of the service enhancements.

This includes an increase of two full-time nurses, one slating clerk, additional dietitian hours, an additional nurse navigator, a navigation clerk and an additional psychosocial oncology clinician. While the base site is WMCC, this staffing increase will support all seven community cancer programs across PMH.

The Centre for Hope will also provide therapy services in the form of an additional part-time occupational therapist and a speech language pathologist for patients currently receiving treatment from within the PMH region.

Furniture and equipment are being installed in the oncology clinic and Centre for Hope early in the new year.

New linear accelerator within WMCC and Paul Albrechtsen Centre for Hope

Dauphin Regional Health Centre

The two-phased Dauphin Clinical Spaces Redevelopment Project is now complete. The new endoscopy suite area on the main floor opened in early November.

Renovated space to create nine additional inpatients beds is complete. Seven of these are newly renovated single occupancy rooms. The new, spacious physiotherapy area on the hospital’s third floor is also now in use.

Renovations included a new conference room and some administrative offices.

As part of the initial project phase, the cancer care/chemotherapy unit relocated to the hospital’s main floor in January 2024.

First phase of Dauphin Regional Health Centre renovations completed

New cancer care unit open; endoscopy suite next

Staff have full view of all patients during treatment

The first phase of significant renovations at the Dauphin Regional Health Centre is now complete, which provides a larger and more modern space welcoming cancer patients to receive the treatment they need.

As part of the project, space on the first floor of the hospital was renovated to accommodate an expanded CancerCare Manitoba (CCMB) unit. The renovated area on the first floor is 50 per cent larger, adds one new exam room for a total of two, and relocated five treatment spaces. The renovations were completed in late 2023 and the first patient was seen in early January 2024.

The new cancer care/chemotherapy unit offers other features, including:

Additional space and more patient privacy within the Unit;
Better treatment functionality, including much-improved nurse sightlines;
An enhanced medication preparation area;
Two larger patient examination spaces.

Prairie Mountain Health notes the adjacent endoscopy suite will begin operation very soon. This will relocate all endoscopy procedures out of the existing operating room, further freeing up operating space within the hospital, thereby increasing surgical capacity.

Second Phase

As part of phase two, renovations on the second and third floors of the hospital are now underway. Nine new beds (seven on the medical ward and two on the surgery ward) are being added which will increase capacity within the second largest acute care centre in Prairie Mountain Health region. With the move of the cancer care unit from the third floor, its former space will be renovated into a new physiotherapy unit, which includes occupational and physiotherapy.

It’s anticipated second phase renovations will be completed in late summer 2024.

Manitoba Premier & Stakeholders tour facility

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara and CancerCare Manitoba CEO Dr. Sri Navartnam were all in Dauphin January 24 to acknowledge the significance of the clinical space improvements.

“This renovation will not only mean more space for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, it will add more endoscopy capacity, reduce surgery wait times and it will enhance the Dauphin Regional Health Centre to allow more patients from across the Parklands to access health care. It’s one more step in our government’s commitment to improving health care in the Parklands,” Kinew stated.

Representatives from the Province, CancerCare Manitoba (CCMB) and Prairie Mountain Health gather outside Dauphin Regional Health Centre January 24, 2024. From left are: Ron Kostyshyn (Minister of Agriculture and Dauphin MLA), Ruth Loewen, (CCMB Director, Community Oncology Program), Ken Borce, (CCMB Chief of Clinical Operations), Dr. Sri Navaratnam (President and CEO of CancerCare Manitoba), Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, Uzoma, Asagwara, Minister of Health, Seniors and Long Term Care, Brian Schoonbaert (CEO of Prairie Mountain Health) and Brent Gibson, (CCMB Chief of Corporate Services and Finance).

The hospital’s endoscopy services will also move to the main floor soon, minister Asagwara added. This will add one new procedure room and six pre-/post-recovery spaces. Once fully operational, up to 300 more endoscopies will be able to be performed at the site annually, while also freeing up space in operating rooms. This shift will help increase surgical capacity in Dauphin, the minister noted.

“Building both physical and human capacity is vital to sustaining cancer services,” said Dr. Sri Navaratnam, president and chief executive officer, CancerCare Manitoba. “I am very pleased that this renovation supports CCMB’s ability to continue to provide access to high-quality cancer services closer to where the patients live.”

“Working with its health partners and stakeholders, Prairie Mountain Health is pleased the initial phase of the clinical spaces transformation project has come to fruition,” said Brian Schoonbaert, chief executive officer, Prairie Mountain Health. As the second phase of the project proceeds, we are ensuring Dauphin Regional Health Centre continues to play a vital role in the provision of patient and client care regionally and provincially moving forward.”

PMH Capital Construction Project Update

Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) continues to move forward on several major construction and renovation projects in partnership with Manitoba Health and Shared Health. The following is a brief update as of November 1, 2023.

Brandon Regional Health Centre (BRHC)

Construction to expand and renovate clinical spaces within the BRHC campus is going well with work on the new Critical Care bed tower addition underway. Once completed the entire project will feature:

a new 16-bed Intensive Care Unit – main level.
approximately 30 additional medical beds on – the 2^nd floor.
3^rd floor – mechanical space.
4^th floor – shell space for potential future expansion.

The anticipated substantial completion for the Critical Care bed tower project is early 2026. As well, there is a planned renovation to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Western Manitoba Cancer Centre

Work continues on the expanded and renovated WMCC, which will serve as a regional cancer hub, providing enhanced cancer services for patients across western Manitoba. The project includes:

7,000-sq.-ft. expansion and renovation of existing space, including additional exam rooms and treatment spaces.
space for a ‘Centre of Hope’ for counselling and recovery patients to have additional support and resources.
second medical linear accelerator, used for delivering external beam radiation treatments to patients with cancer.

The anticipated substantial project completion is the spring of 2024.

Neepawa Health Centre

The new hospital is being built east of Neepawa on the north side of the Yellowhead highway near the Lions Campground.

It will be nearly double the size of the existing hospital, and will better serve patients from this broader western Manitoba geographic area. Features of the new health centre will include:

60 acute care inpatient beds, up from 35 at the current Neepawa site.
an expanded emergency department designed to best practice standards that include treatment and assessment rooms, trauma rooms and an ambulance bay.
adding a hemodialysis suite with nine dialysis stations.
enhanced space for a number of other programs, such as surgery, diagnostics, and palliative care, as well as outpatient services like chemotherapy (6 treatment stations).

The anticipated substantial completion right now is sometime in 2026.

Dauphin Regional Health Centre

Renovations to the Dauphin Regional Health Centre (DRHC) are converting temporary Emergency Department space to enhanced patient care areas and a further increase in hospital inpatient capacity. This includes:

a new Endoscopy suite will relocate all endoscopy procedures out of the existing operating room, further free up operating space, and increase surgical capacity.
a new Chemotherapy unit, relocating the existing unit on the hospital’s third floor to the main floor.
adding nine additional inpatient beds (seven on medicine, two on surgery).

Phase 1 anticipated completion (Endoscopy/Chemotherapy) is expected in December 2023.

Phase 2 completion (hospital in-patient renovations) is anticipated in the summer of 2024.

Killarney, Virden and Souris Health Centres

Three additional Emergency Department (ED) renovations in Virden, Killarney and Souris are complete. We are currently preparing to enter the new space. This involved:

dedicated space for registration and triage for those attending the ED. This will provide greater privacy but also better sight lines for staff to view patients and the waiting area.
refreshed treatment spaces (e.g.: new paint, flooring, etc.).
improved wayfinding for those arriving at the Emergency Department and for those coming to visit inpatients.

The new ED spaces will officially open in November 2023.

Russell Health Centre

Construction is well underway on the building addition to expand the cancer care unit at Russell Health Centre. Work on the $2.5 million project began in late spring and is anticipated to be completed in the spring of 2024.

Once complete, the project will add another 3,300 sq.-ft. to the health centre’s existing CancerCare Manitoba chemotherapy treatment space and include:

replacement of the existing nursing station and medication storage area;
creation of a dedicated patient washroom, nourishment area, and a small waiting area;
improved patient privacy.

PMH has collaborated with health partners and stakeholders for the necessary building planning, construction costs and associated timelines for this important capital project. The regional health authority will contribute annual operating costs for the expansion, including staffing and supplies.