Two Pontiac healthcare facilities got major infrastructure upgrades this spring, both of which were officially unveiled last week.
The CHSLD Manoir Sacré-Coeur long-term care home in Mansfield-et-Pontefract got a much-needed kitchen renovation that saw new stainless steel counters and cupboards installed, as well as a new walk-in freezer and fridge, and a new dishwasher.
“The kitchen was dated over 25 years. It wasn’t made out of stainless steel equipment, so infection prevention control and stuff like that was difficult,” said Nicole Boucher-Lariviere, Santé Québec Outaouais’s Pontiac territory director. She added that the lack of a large walk-in fridge made it challenging for staff to rotate food properly.
She said the $1.2 million in upgrades, which took about a year to complete, will make it much easier for staff to organize and prepare the specialized meals for the home’s 40 residents.
“Everybody has their own special diet so [staff] need a space where they can really assemble the meals that are adjusted for every single individual in the home.”
Annik Angrignon, manager of the facility, said the upgrade has already improved staff attraction and retention, and made it easier for them to prepare the specialized meals.
“It has a positive impact because the new equipment has contributed to making a more efficient work environment and ensuring a work environment that’s more compliant with infection, prevention and control measures.”
At the Pontiac Hospital, the new balcony on the east side of the building was officially opened on Canada Day.
Boucher-Larivière said the $1 million, two-storey balcony will make it possible for residents of the hospital’s long-term care facility to catch a breath of fresh air on its second floor, and hospital staff to enjoy break time outside on its first floor.
“For long-term care residents who can’t go downstairs alone, we offer to bring them,” Boucher-Larivière explained of the facility’s current options for offering residents some time outdoors.
“A lot of times they find it far to walk, or they need to be rolled and they don’t like it, or they’re only going out to the parking lot so it’s too hot, so a lot of them just choose not to go outside, but now with the balcony there’s a nice breeze, and they don’t have to go very far.”
She said for one of the residents enjoying the view on the balcony’s opening day, it was his first time outdoors in two years.
“I asked him to come inside because it was getting too hot out there, and he said, ‘I haven’t been outside in two years, you’re not bringing me in.’”
Boucher-Larivière said she hopes this investment in Pontiac’s healthcare infrastructure will reassure residents that the network does care about keeping up its rural facilities.
“We’ve had a few major projects in the last few years. We’ve had the new CT scan machine, the new kitchen, the new balcony, and we have two to three big projects coming up this year,” she said.
“It’s important because it reassures the population that we are dedicated to improving services and making sure we stay up to date with all our equipment.”
She said while she recognizes staffing shortages are of serious concern to Pontiac residents, infrastructure maintenance is an important part of the recruitment project.
“It’s important for us to invest in that so when we do try to recruit . . . the salary gap with Ontario is always an issue and remains, but sometimes cost of living here is a little lower, but [potential employees] want to know they’re getting quality care and they have access to the best equipment and a healthy work environment.”
