Over $1.9 Million Invested in Health Care for the St. Anthony Region

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians continue to benefit from the Provincial Government’s significant enhancements to the health care system. The most recent investments will enable the purchase of new capital equipment and fund infrastructure upgrades at the Charles S. Curtis Memorial Hospital and John M. Gray Centre in St. Anthony, and the White Bay Central Health Centre in Roddickton.

“Since 2004, our government has invested over $1 billion in health care infrastructure in the province, which includes our Budget 2012 investments,” said the Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister of Health and Community Services. “This substantial investment illustrates our continued commitment to ensuring that health care programs and services are provided to all our residents as close to home as possible. The investments I am highlighting today for St. Anthony and Roddickton will benefit the entire region.”

Through Budget 2012: People and Prosperity - Responsible Investments for a Secure Future, the Charles S. Curtis Memorial Hospital will receive $1,142,500 for the purchase of capital equipment including:

• $310,000 for medical air compressor and vacuum pumps;
• $175,000 for an ambulance; and,
• $82,000 for biomedical tools.

The White Bay Central Health Centre will receive $113,000 for elevator repairs and the purchase of a vital signs monitor and printer. A tub and patient lift will be purchased for the John M. Gray Centre at a cost of $20,000.

In Budget 2012, the Provincial Government identified health care infrastructure as a priority. As such, $625,000 has been allocated to the Charles S. Curtis Memorial Hospital to make improvements at the facility. Of this funding, $350,000 will support upgrades to the hospital’s electrical, safety and security systems; $250,000 will help begin upgrades to the building’s exterior; and, $25,000 will fund the installation of a dialysis water treatment system.

“Labrador-Grenfell Health welcomes the investments announced today from the Provincial Government for health facilities at St. Anthony and Roddickton,” said Tony Wakeham, CEO, Labrador-Grenfell Health. “Funding allotted for health care infrastructure will greatly enhance our ability to provide important services to our clients on the Northern Peninsula and in Southern Labrador. The capital purchases and improvements we will be making to our safety and security systems also ensure that we continue to provide our staff with a work environment that is safe and modern.”

The Provincial Government has invested approximately $21 million for new capital equipment and infrastructure upgrades at health care facilities in St. Anthony and the surrounding area since 2004. This funding has been used to purchase equipment including a CT scanner, an ultrasound machine, an anaesthetic system, and a mobile x-ray unit. More than $7 million of this funding has been allocated to renovations and repairs at the Charles S. Curtis Memorial Hospital. Improvements to the facility have included roofing and window replacement, upgrades to the HVAC system and laboratory, and renovations to patient rooms and washrooms to enhance wheelchair accessibility.

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2012 11 23             1:25 p.m.