New Western Memorial Regional Hospital Opening June 2, 2024

Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Health Services is pleased to announce that the new Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook will be opening to patients and clients on June 2, 2024. The new, modern 164-bed, seven story acute care hospital will provide quality patient care with individual inpatient rooms, state-of-the-art treatment rooms, and enhanced diagnostics systems.

“We are thrilled to announce that the new Western Memorial Regional Hospital is set to open. The project’s success would not have been achieved without the dedication and commitment of leadership, employees and physicians who have contributed countless hours to the planning and setting up the new hospital to welcome patients,” said Teara Freake, vice-president and chief operating officer (COO) for the Western Zone. “I also would like to acknowledge the continued support of the provincial government, foundation and community partners throughout this journey.”

The new Western Memorial Regional Hospital will deliver enhancements to essential health care services and the patient experience:

• Medical imaging capacity will be increased with a second MRI machine, two additional ultrasound machines and one additional cardiac echo machine, which assists with diagnosing heart issues.
• The surgery and procedure unit will have an additional endoscopy suite.
• The mental health units will welcome improvements to inpatient areas with added family spaces, a fitness room, a relaxation room, and access to a secure outdoor terrace.
• The renal care program will have potential capacity for up to 24 dialysis patients, up from 15 in our current space.
• There will be additional registration desks which will improve patient flow to ambulatory care clinics, maternal newborn and pediatrics, and surgery and procedure units.
• Expanded chemotherapy services will increase from 10 to 15 patient spaces. Radiotherapy services will be operational upon full recruitment of our clinical team.

“The new Western Memorial Regional Hospital provides a modern work environment for our physicians, health-care teams and Western Zone employees,” said Dr. Scott MacKenzie, senior medical director, Western Zone. “The hospital has a noticeable patient focus in its design with welcoming patient spaces, as well as improved proximity of clinical connections with supporting departments.”

This facility is an energy efficient building which is powered by a combination of electrical and geothermal energy eliminating the use of fossil fuels and reducing overall energy consumption. There is also LED lighting throughout the facility, and lighting control systems are equipped with daylight sensors and occupancy sensors.

NL Health Services is at the final stages of transforming the building into a functional hospital with ongoing installation of modern furniture, information technology and telephone systems, as well as diagnostic and treatment devices. Work is continuing to plan a safe and seamless transition period to the new hospital which includes an intensive staff orientation training schedule and clinical equipment testing. Western Zone clinical and operational teams are currently finalizing the details of the 10-day hospital move plan which will take place from Wednesday, May 22 to Sunday June 2, 2024.

The current hospital at 1 Brookfield Avenue will continue to serve as an administrative and clinical health services building for the short term. Human Resources, Finance, Laundry Services, and the Western Regional School of Nursing will continue to temporarily operate in their current location.  The following outpatient health services will also continue to be available at 1 Brookfield Avenue temporarily:

• Janeway Outreach
• Outpatient Psychiatry
• Public Health
• Audiology
• Speech Language Pathology
• Developmental Psychology
• Autism Assessment Team

NL Health Services reminds the public that urgent and emergency services will continue throughout the move-in period. Further updates will be available in the weeks leading up to the opening of new hospital.

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