The new HSC Transplant Wellness Centre opened in July 2020 and was officially unveiled in April. (HSC FOUNDATION)
WINNIPEG — A new state-of-the-art Winnipeg clinic is breathing new hope into transplant patients in Manitoba.
The Health Sciences Centre Foundation has unveiled the HSC Transplant Wellness Centre, boasting 11,400-square-feet of space at a cost of $4.5 million.
“By quadrupling the clinical space, the HSC Transplant Wellness Centre is already providing many of our patients with improved care by offering all services under one roof, allowing virtual appointments, and fully outfitting rooms with new equipment,” said Jonathon Lyon, president and CEO of the HSC Foundation.
“We are truly grateful for the exceptionally generous donors who have stepped forward to make a difference.”
The post-transplant clinic in the HSC Transplant Wellness Centre. (HSC FOUNDATION)
The new space, which quietly opened in July 2020, will consolidate 10 former areas previously spread over HSC’s 39-acre campus, as well as allowing for more kidney transplants to be performed.
Dr. Peter Nickerson, Medical Director of HSC’s Transplant Manitoba, says kidney transplants have grown by 78 percent since they began in Manitoba back in 1969.
“Our program has been growing; however, our physical space did not keep pace. Not only was the clinical space far too small, but Transplant Manitoba staff were scattered across the HSC campus. For those with a suppressed immune system, not having to go all over the hospital is crucial for safer care,” Nickerson said.
“As well, fully equipped rooms mean staff no longer wait for necessary items such as a portable bladder scanner or blood pressure monitors. Liver transplant care is expanding from two clinic rooms to four, and the Living Kidney Donor Program is now offering enhanced service. All of this is thanks to the expansion.”
Dr. David Rush, medical director of the adult renal transplant program at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre. (HSC FOUNDATION)
The centre has its own new phlebotomy room which allows blood to be drawn right onsite, a dedicated Transplant Assessment Clinic, and room for pre- and post-lung transplant care with new spirometry and ultrasound equipment.
The centre is expected to save $63,000 annually per patient by taking individuals off dialysis much sooner with an increased ability to perform more transplants.
Funding for the new HSC Transplant Wellness Centre came from the province as well as two anonymous gifts to the HSC Foundation.
