PEMBROKE – Pembroke Regional Hospital (PRH) is working closely with its Tower C tenants to ensure that the needs of patients with mobility restrictions, who might use a walker or wheelchair, are addressed when work begins to replace the building’s only elevator in mid-May.
While the outcome of this project will be a more efficient and reliable elevator for our patients, in the interim, this project will have an impact on our patients who have mobility restrictions or other issues that make navigating the stairs difficult,” said PRH President and CEO Pierre Noel.
“In the lead up to this project, our staff have been working closely with the physicians in Tower C and others who may be affected to identify ways in which we can accommodate those who will be impacted,” he continued. “This includes making ground floor space available for some appointments, as well as the installation of a stair lift to access other floors.”
He added that additional volunteers will be put in place to assist with navigation through the buildings during this time and that maps will be made available at the Tower C information desk.
Formerly known as the Lorrain Wing, Tower C at PRH was originally built in the 1950s as a residence and teaching space for the Lorrain School of Nursing. Over the years, this building has been renovated to better suit patient needs and the modernization of the elevator is now a part of these upgrades. The elevator project is scheduled to take approximately 12 weeks, which means that Tower C will be without an elevator until approximately mid-August.
In order to make the transition as smooth as possible, those with mobility restrictions who have scheduled appointments in Tower C between mid-May and mid-August are asked to contact their physician as soon as possible. This will allow them time to arrange the most appropriate option for their situation.
For those patients able to use the stair lift, they will be asked to arrive at the Tower C entrance a minimum of 15 minutes before their appointment time in order to allow adequate time to navigate through the buildings.
