A new 39,000 square foot emergency department will open at Grace Hospital next week.

The new much larger space, an upgrade from the current 7,000 square feet they are currently working with, will be very open with better sightlines and more natural light.

"People talked about the darkness of the former department," explained Kellie O' Rourke, chief operating officer for the Winnipeg West Health Campus. "We were really focused on trying to provide a warm, inviting, welcoming, light filled space. That is important for peoples spirits, it is important for our patients and our staff, but is also important for being able to more accurately and more safely assess a patient."

rsz room

Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen says the one thing that stands out most about the new facility is the design and how open it is.

"That is important in making sure we are taking care of people, that nobody is getting lost within the system, or if there is somebody who needs a particular type of care they can be seen," said Goertzen.

The new emergency department will feature 24 monitoring and assessment rooms, that is up from 8 in the former facility, two safe rooms for violent patients and an isolation room to prevent airborne infection. There will also be a dedicated lab, x-ray and EKG space.

Staff will also now be equipped with hand held communication devices to cut back on noise and to avoid having to leave a patients side.

Grace Hospital will have room for multiple ambulances, and will also be the only Winnipeg emergency department with the ability to receive and unload the city's Major Incident Response Vehicle.

The new emergency department will officially open to the public on Tuesday May 29th, 2018.