Creaky stretchers just won’t do for the modern emergency department taking shape at Victoria General Hospital.

All of the equipment doctors and nurses use at the Island’s designated trauma centre is showing its age, said Dr. Stephen Wheeler, Vancouver Island medical director of emergency and trauma care.

With the help of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation, the hope is to bring new equipment with them when they move into the new $18.8-million department next year.

“Part of providing good care is having the best tools to do it,” he said.

The Victoria Hospitals Foundation launched its fall campaign with the hope of garnering $2 million. With that money, the department will be in the position to buy the best ultrasound machines and other diagnostic machines, among numerous other supplies, Wheeler said.

“Government funding provides your Chevy. We would like it to be a BMW so we have the (most up-to-date equipment),” Wheeler said.

The new department, located on the opposite side of the building from the existing one, is three times larger. It is closer to the helipad and offers easier access off of Watkiss Way. Inside the layout will allow staff to work more efficiently while giving patients some privacy, Wheeler said.

The ER will have three entrances: general, ambulance and infection control. Once inside there is an assessment area and waiting room. Staff will be able to take patients to a chair or bed and start any necessary tests before they see a doctor, Wheeler said.

Another new area is specific to children. On the opposite side of the department then general admissions, it means children don’t have to sit in the same waiting room as people with traumatic injuries or substance abuse problems.

The other advantage to that space is that it will be dedicated to pediatric supplies — such as those used for resuscitation — eliminating any confusion for medical staff. There is also a space dedicated for sexual assault cases.

There are six trauma bays — up from the current two. A larger designated space means that medical teams don’t have to turn the stretcher on an angle just to fit around the patient, Wheeler said.

All of these improvements mean patients will see a doctor faster, he said.

With an average of 36,000 patients annually the department’s biggest challenge is not having enough room to get patients out of the waiting room and into a bed fast enough.

“You yourself have the time but you can’t find the place to put that patient. It’s one of the most frustrating situations you can find yourself in as a physician,” he said. “The thing that truly terrifies you is not knowing what is waiting out there for you.”

Most of the people who come to the ER don’t have anything seriously wrong with them and the sooner a doctor can determine that, the better it is for the patient, he said.

Of course, it won’t just be the patients who benefit from the space. Staff are getting excited to move in and as a result the department is already attracting new nursing staff, Wheeler said. The fact they will have the most up-to-date equipment should draw in more doctors as well.

Victoria Hospitals Foundation’s fall campaign launched this week and residents should expected a letter about how they can help this month.

Funds are also generated at the annual Visions gala, already sold out for this year.

Last year the event raised more than $399,000 which purchased a retinal microscope to better aid doctors performing eye surgeries.

To learn more about the foundation call 250-414-6688 or go to www.victoriahf.ca.

reporter@goldstreamgazette.com