WINNIPEG – Tuesday the Grace Hospital in Winnipeg will open a new state-of-the-art emergency department.

The $43.8-million emergency department, which includes a $5-million community contribution, is expected to treat 35,000 patients this year, Premier Pallister said in a news release.

“The Grace Hospital’s new emergency department will be more than five times larger than its old one and is designed to provide the highest quality care to patients, both now and in the future,” said Pallister. “The opening of this department is integral to our government’s short- and long-term goals to continue to provide better care sooner, bring down wait times and build a health-care system that’s sustainable for future generations.”

”We know patients are waiting too long for the right care, stay in the emergency department or hospital longer than necessary and often have to travel between sites for care,” said Réal Cloutier, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. “This facility furthers our effort to concentrate services in the right locations to help reduce wait times and the need to transfer patients, and will build on the improvements already achieved in phase one of the Healing Our Health System Plan.”

“The new emergency department gives our staff the ability to help patients more quickly in much improved space,” said Kellie O’Rourke, chief operating officer, Grace Hospital. “Everything we do is focused on creating the best patient experience, so the more connected and better equipped we are, the better we are able to help people seeking care.”

For patients with less urgent health concerns, the new emergency department is physically connected to ACCESS Winnipeg West through a common entrance. ACCESS Winnipeg West has a walk-in connected care clinic operating seven days a week, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., weekends and holidays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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