New health centre up and running
150 community members and public servants attend launch
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, June 27, 2016
HAY RIVER
A new era in medical care was recently celebrated with the official opening of the Hay River Regional Health Centre.
An array of dignitaries joined about 150 community residents on June 11 to mark the occasion.
"This new facility is a state-of-the-art facility with state-of-the-art features," said Health and Social Services Minister Glen Abernethy.
"I understand there have already been three babies born in this facility since it opened."
A number of other speakers also celebrated the fact that babies have been born at the centre.
"It's great to hear that we've had three babies born here already," said Hay River South MLA Wally Schumann, who is also a member of the territorial cabinet.
K'atlodeeche First Nation Chief Roy Fabian said all four of his children were born in the old H.H. Williams Memorial Hospital.
"So I'm really glad to hear there's been three children born here already," he said, adding that people who live in Hay River should be able to have their children born here in the community, not in Yellowknife.
"So for me I think that's a wonderful thing that we're starting here.... The children in the future can say, 'I'm from Hay River. I was born in Hay River.'"
The new centre replaces H.H. Williams Memorial Hospital, which served Hay River for more than 50 years.
"Our hope is that this centre will serve the residents for the next 50 years as well as the H.H. Williams Hospital has before," said Abernethy.
Construction of the $50-million health centre began in 2013.
Abernethy said it is an "impressive accomplishment" that will serve Hay River and the Hay River Reserve, along with Kakisa, Enterprise and Fort Resolution.
The facility features acute care inpatient beds, emergency department, trauma room, operating room, recovery beds, dialysis unit, X-ray capability, modern laboratory, pharmacy, primary care clinic, midwifery services with birthing beds and more.
After all the speeches were completed and a ribbon was cut to symbolically open the building, everyone was welcomed inside.
Among the people was Christine Gyapay, who was getting a first look at the entire health centre.
"It's fabulous," she said, describing the building as light and bright.
Like many others, Gyapay is particularly pleased the midwifery services are in the building.
After the opening ceremony, Abernethy said there is a real opportunity to bring other services to the centre over time.
"There's lots of opportunity for this building and this building has got room for growth," he said.
As for what now happens to H.H. Williams Memorial Hospital, Abernethy said for the time being it will continue to house some administration and 10 long-term care beds until a new home for those beds is built adjacent to Woodland Manor."
There's not a lot of useful life in that building," he said of the old hospital.
"There's a lot of deferred maintenance that would be required to bring it into an operational state for anything."
Abernethy said he has asked the Department of Public Works and Services to reserve the land for the Department of Health and Social Services.
"It might be an appropriate place for long-term care beds in the future," he said. "It will mean we'll have to get rid of that building but it's such a great location."
Abernethy said Hay River will need a total of 50 long-term care beds by 2026
"We've got 20, so we have to find 30 more long-term care beds in Hay River," he said. "That could be a great location for that. Nothing is confirmed but we're certainly looking at it."
