SIGNIFICANT EXPANSION OF HEALTH-CARE CENTRES IN BRANDON UNDERWAY
Budget 2023 Supports Historic $1.2-Billion Investment in Health-Care Capital Projects Across Manitoba: Stefanson, Gordon
BRANDON—As part of Budget 2023’s historic investments in healthcare capital projects and significant efforts to strengthen services across Manitoba, Premier Heather Stefanson and Health Minister Audrey Gordon announced here today that work to significantly expand two healthcare facilities in Manitoba’s second-largest city is well underway, bringing patients in the Westman region one step closer to enhanced clinical and cancer services that will reduce the need to travel to Winnipeg for care.
“Our government remains steadfast in our commitment to heal health care in Manitoba, and we are providing historic investments to help reduce wait times, improve access, and provide more services closer to home,” said Stefanson. “These significant investments will enhance access to clinical and cancer services for residents in this region, and support the Brandon Regional Health Centre’s important role as the province’s hub for specialized services in western Manitoba. More importantly, these projects will continue to make a difference for patients, their families, and the incredible healthcare staff who care for Manitobans in need.”
Substantive construction to expand Brandon Regional Health Centre (BHRC) began last fall, following the completion of work on an adjacent parking lot. Piling for the building expansion has since been completed and foundation work is underway. When complete, the project will establish BRHC as a centralized hub of specialized services for western Manitoba including:
- 30 additional medicine beds;
- a new, 16-bed intensive care unit, up from the current nine, with additional staffed adult beds to meet the increasing demands of the health region and province; and
- an expanded neonatal intensive care unit.
“As part of Budget 2023, we are making historic investments in our province to help people get the care they need, when and where it is needed,” Gordon said. “These strategic and significant investments are the direct result of consultation with front-line health-care professionals, and they focus on people, infrastructure and innovation to support improved access to timely care for more Manitobans now and into the future.”
“Moving forward on these major projects will further enhance the very important roles Brandon Regional Health Centre and the Western Manitoba Cancer Centre play in the provision of specialized services in the region and province,” said Brian Schoonbaert, CEO, Prairie Mountain Health. “We sincerely thank our staff and physicians who have been instrumental in providing input and leadership on these improvements and acknowledge, and thank, the BRHC Foundation for their continued dedication and support in related fundraising campaigns.”
Construction began at the Western Manitoba Cancer Centre in January, where work on a planned 9,400-sq.-ft. expansion is underway. Excavation has commenced at the site and, when complete, the expansion will provide space for:
- additional exam/procedure rooms and treatment spaces;
- a new medical linear accelerator, commonly used for delivering external beam radiation treatments to patients with cancer; and
- a Centre for Hope that will provide supportive care services to Westman patients and families for all cancers, providing a continuum of care that starts at the point of diagnosis and includes education, services, and programming throughout a patient’s cancer journey.
“The expansion of the Western Manitoba Cancer Centre to include additional radiation treatment capacity, medical oncology and hematology and the addition of the Centre for Hope enhances our commitment to provide Manitobans with quality care closer to home, integrating clinical care with supportive care at the same location,” said Dr. Sri Navaratnam, president and CEO, CancerCare Manitoba.
These capital projects are a historic investment in the healthcare system and in the health and wellness of people living in the Westman region, the premier noted. Project costs reflect the scale and complexity of work, as well as rising construction and material costs. The BRHC project represents an investment of nearly $110 million and the expansion of the cancer centre is nearly $26 million. Work on the cancer centre is expected to be completed next year, while construction at BRHC will conclude in 2025. Both projects are being supported in part by the BRHC Foundation and CancerCare Manitoba Foundation.
“I am pleased to announce that the Paul Albrechtsen Foundation has donated $3.5 million to establish the Paul Albrechtsen Centre for Hope at the Western Manitoba Cancer Centre in Brandon, said Lee Meagher, chair, CancerCare Manitoba Foundation. “This very significant gift enables the construction of this centre that will be co-located with clinical services, providing the much-needed supportive and emotional care cancer patients and their families deserve.”
The Manitoba government is providing a total multi-year capital investment of $1.2 billion to support the building, expanding and renovating of healthcare facilities across the province. This includes Manitoba’s Clinical and Preventive Services Plan, led by clinicians, to establish a geographic network of care that improves access for Manitobans. The plan is comprised of 38 projects including:
- construction of new hospitals in Neepawa and Portage la Prairie;
- renovations at Dauphin Regional Health Centre; and
- expansions of Selkirk Regional Health Centre, Boundary Trails Health Centre in Morden-Winkler, Bethesda Regional Health Centre in Steinbach and Lakeshore General Hospital in Ashern.
For more information on Manitoba’s Clinical and Preventive Services Plan, visit https://sharedhealthmb.ca/wp-content/uploads/CPSP_Overview_NL.pdf.
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