SHA preparing for big move to new Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital

The Jim Pattison Children’s hospital is set to open next week.

With less than three days until opening, members of the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) are hard at work to see the opening of the new hospital, and the transportation of three departments, run as smoothly as possible.

Carrie Dornstauder, the executive director of maternal and children’s provincial programs with the SHA, said the big move is happening at 6 a.m. on Sunday.
“On Sunday morning, we will close operations at the Royal University Hospital (RUH) for maternal services, children’s emergency services and the adult emergency department, and at 6 a.m, those services will reopen over at the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital,” she said.

Dornstauder said inpatients will move to the new hospital roughly an hour later.

A national company called Health Care Relocation has been assisting the SHA with planning and implementing the move for months. Trucks, semis and staff arrived at RUH this week for final preparations.

“We have a very structured process to do that. We’ve timed it all out. We’re ready to go,” Dornsatuder said.

Dornstauder expects to have all patients from maternal services and children’s emergency services moved to the new hospital by mid-afternoon.

On Monday, surgeries, outpatient and specialty services will move in.

Moving multiple departments to a new hospital in a matter of hours is no small task. Dornstauder said there are hundreds of people devoted to Sunday’s big move.

“Our clinical teams are really focused on those families, and our moms and kids, to make sure they’re ready to go. It’s a huge effort by hundreds of people and I couldn’t be more proud of those teams,” she said.

Orientations for patients and patients’ family members begin on Saturday to comfort parents and children about the move and ease any worries.

Any people needing emergency services, or pregnant women going into labour anytime after 6 a.m. on Sunday should go to the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital.

There is a drop-off zone in front of the main doors on the top deck of the parkade, as well as plenty of signage and additional staff on-hand to help direct people.