Yellowknife (Sep 20/06) - Patient care at Stanton Territorial Hospital should get an upgrade with the help of one Yellowknife communications company.

Danmax Communications is set to do more than $1.1 million worth of renovations starting in early October.

Among the additions will be a new nurse/patient call system and upgrades to the security system, said Danny Cimon, vice-president of Danmax.

"We're pretty excited about the job."

Workers will begin installing the new technology in mid-October and the installation will run until mid-March, he said.

Up to 10 workers will be involved in the project at various hours, said Cimon.

The security system will consist of high-end cameras and a number of sensors.

"It will be a lot safer," he said.

The company was glad to be considered for the renovations at the hospital, especially when competing against southern bids, said Cimon.

Danmax Communications has been doing work in the North for 20 years and Cimon is confident that this project will be a spring board for the company in terms of working on other large projects.

"We're hoping to do a good job," said Cimon.

One of the key points to the renovation contract is that Danmax needs to cater to patients at all times.

That means the hospital must be as noise- and dust-free as possible while the company does its work, he said. "The patients come first."

Insuring that there would be no negative hit to patient care was very important when the tender went out, said Sylvia Haener, chief executive officer with the Stanton Territorial Health Authority.

Along with guidelines during construction, all of the upgrading has been planned with input from Stanton staff, she said.

The renovations will be a big enhancement for both staff and patients, she said. "There will be a greater continuity of care for the patient," said Haener.

Phase one of upgrades at Stanton Territorial Hospital should be completed in the next few weeks.

It includes upgrade to smoke detectors and the fire system through the hospital.