A patient bed in the new epilepsy monitoring unit at Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg. (HSC FOUNDATION / HANDOUT)
WINNIPEG — A new epilepsy monitoring unit and neurological recovery unit are up and running at Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg.
The new four-bed adult epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) opened in January, replacing a two-bed unit that closed in late 2019 due to staffing challenges and clinical equipment failure.
The province provided $2.3 million in capital funding for the unit, which will open in phases. An additional $2.5 million in annual provincial funding will go towards operating costs.
The HSC Foundation is funding an adjacent four-bed unit located between the EMU and the neurosurgery unit. The new space, called Unit B5B, is an expansion to the step-down unit for neurosurgery patients and will increase capacity required for epilepsy surgery patients. Unit B5B was made possible with $500,000 of support from donors.
“The opening and expansion of the adult EMU is an important development for Manitobans living with epilepsy, and the opening of the new donor-funded Unit B5B will further enhance the care available at Manitoba’s hospital,” said HSC Foundation president and CEO Jonathon Lyon.
Epilepsy Awareness/Purple Day occurs annually on March 26 to increase understanding and awareness of the brain disease. An estimated 23,000 Manitobans live with epilepsy and/or seizures and as many as one in 10 Manitobans will experience at least one epileptic seizure in their lifetime.
