Editor’s Note

STRONG MEDICINE FOR AN AILING SYSTEM

THE LAST FOUR MONTHS have been a whirlwind. After years of experiencing minimal illness as a result of government mandated public health measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 and ease pressure on hospitals, my kids have been sick a lot since returning to school. Both have fallen ill six times with a variety of viruses, including the common cold, influenza and gastroenteritis. I was panic-stricken when their fevers peaked and children’s liquid acetaminophen and ibuprofen were nowhere to be found on store shelves. Frantic and wanting to avoid a trip to SickKids where admittance wait times were up to 12 hours for some patients, I turned to a local pharmacy to compound both at $40 each and with a shelf-life of just 14 days. Afterwards, my wallet was lighter but so was my heart as the two helped reduce persistent fevers that lasted for days.

The scarcity of children’s pain and fever relievers among other medications that are in short supply, such as amoxicillin, has further shone a light on the vulnerabilities of Canada’s supply chain. Similarly, the recent massive surge of patients to and, subsequently, immense pressures placed on children’s hospitals, resulting in some temporary closures of emergency departments, has amplified the need to fix our ailing healthcare system, which appears to be on the brink of collapse.

But what’s the solution?

While there is no simple answer, investment in infrastructure is part of building a better healthcare system. That involves constructing new hospitals to meet the needs of communities, as was recently done in Grande Prairie, Alta. More than 10 years ago, Alberta Health Services had the foresight to embark on an ambitious project that would support the delivery of care to the city’s residents, keeping northern Alberta patients closer to home whenever possible and providing shorter wait times. Grande Prairie Regional Hospital officially opened its doors this past February, and within months the hospital received international recognition for its design. You can read all about the project, which graces the cover, in Celebrating the Great Outdoors Inside.

We then turn to our two main focuses of this issue — facility management and design and sustainable healthcare. Topics covered include architectural and engineering design considerations to optimize operations in long-term care facilities; sensory strategies to mitigate children’s anxieties in hospitals; nitrous oxide as a climate threat; and the reprocessing of single-use medical devices.

Rounding out this issue, Gordon Burrill of Teegor Consulting Inc. walks us through updates to CSA Z317.13 in our regulatory update.

Clare Tattersall claret@mediaedge.ca

CHES SCISS

Canadian Healthcare Engineering Society Société canadienne d'ingénierie des services de santé

CALL FOR GRANT SPONSORSHIP & SUBMISSIONS 2023 Young Professionals Grant

DEADLINE: April 30, 2023

CHES is seeking both sponsors and candidates for the 2023 Young Professionals Grant. The application forms for Sponsors and Candidates are available on the CHES Website.

Call for Sponsors:

• The YPG sponsorship application form must be completed by the sponsoring organization/company and submitted to the CHES National Office.

• CHES National Office will invoice sponsoring organization/company for $2,000 once candidate applications have been received and approved.

Call for Candidates:

• Young professionals who are or will become architects, engineers (i.e. mechanical, electrical, power, and civil, etc.), technicians or similar technical disciplines are eligible.

• Eligible candidates are those working within a healthcare organization or a company supplying goods or services to healthcare facilities or organizations.

• Eligible candidates must be working in the healthcare field for less than 5 years.

• The YPG application form must be completed by the eligible candidate and submitted to the CHES

National Office. In this form, the eligible candidate will be required to provide information on their recent employment and future career aspirations.

• Confirmed candidates will receive complimentary registration for the 2023 National Conference and complimentary membership for the remainder of the 2023-2024 membership year.

For Nomination Forms, Terms of Reference, criteria, and past winners www.ches.org / About CHES / Awards

Send nominations to;

CHES National Office info@ches.org Fax: 866-303-0626