Government Approves Construction To Begin To Accommodate A Second Cardiac Catherization Table At Ouellette Campus
Work is underway to renovate the second floor of the Ouellette Campus of Windsor Regional Hospital to accommodate a badly needed second cardiac catheterization table.
The renovation project, led by Lester Construction, will relocate the existing cardiac catheterization lab from its current location in the basement, which has experienced periodic flooding, to a new second-floor space that will accommodate two cardiac cath lab tables.
“We have waited many years for this project to come to fruition. We thank the Ford government for seeing the project through so that we can serve more cardiac patients in our region and save on the costs required to send patients to Detroit when we can’t accommodate them here. Even though we were in the midst of the pandemic, the Ford government said this project was going to get done, and they are delivering on the promise,” said WRH Acting President and CEO and Chief Nursing Executive Karen Riddell.
The cath lab project, expected to be complete in approximately 18 months, will nearly eliminate the need to transport patients to Detroit, which currently costs the Ontario health care system hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.
On average, WRH sends one patient per month to Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit due to capacity issues resulting from operating with only one table, costing between $43,000 and $75,000 USD per procedure, with additional interventions potentially increasing costs by up to $187,000 USD per patient.
“This is an important milestone for Windsor Regional Hospital. It will save lives and provide the necessary clinical space for our healthcare team,” said Dr. Wassim Saad, WRH Chief of Staff.
