THURSDAY
S I N C E
JANUARY 30, 2014
1 8 9 5 E-readers coming to Trail library
Vol. 119, Issue 17
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PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALMO
KBRH tops list of 2014 priority projects
Snowpack slightly below average
AT PEACE AT THE WHEEL
BY ART HARRISON
BY SHERI REGNIER
Times Staff
More than $2 million has been allocated to upgrades at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH), The regional hospital board, compromised of 30 directors representing the West Kootenay areas and municipalities, takes a look at a list of projects, during annual budget talks, that Interior Health deems priority upgrades to keep region’s health facilities operating at an optimal level. This year, the West Kootenay Regional Hospital District (RHD) board signed off on a list of 10 priority projects topping $3.5 million, with most of the funds targeting the regional hospital in Trail. Upgrades at the KBRH includes the RHD responsible for 40 per cent of the bill, or almost $850,000. The most significant KBRH project will be the completion of an airborne isolation room in the second floor Intensive Care Unit (ICU) totalling $660,000 and an additional $480,000 is budgeted to improve the hospital’s air conditioning system, telephone software, and radiology department upgrades. The Trail facility was chosen for the airborne isolation room, which is a significant infection control upgrade, because it is the only local hospital with an ICU, a unit staffed with highly trained doctors and critical care nurses who specialize in caring for the patients with the most severe and life threatening illnesses and injuries. With the emergence of new pathogens such as SARS and avian flu, the isolation room incorporates new standards of quarantine and can be modified to reflect setting-specific needs. “The intensive care unit at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital is the regional unit for the entire Kootenay Boundary,” said Ingrid Hampf, acute care area director. “So having this new isolation room will potentially benefit patients from across our region who need that specialized care.” The project will retrofit an existing ICU patient room into an airborne isolation room, which is essential at a regional hospital to adequately admit a patient that requires isolation to mitigate the risk of harmful airborne contaminants being transferred to patients and staff. Regionally, the budget includes a $280,000 project to upgrade an outdated nurse call system in a Grand Forks extended care facility, and new sidewalks, curbing and parking lot replacement totalling $180,000 at Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson. Additionally, a $948,429 global grant will be allocated in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 in SHERI REGNIER PHOTO all facilities for minor equipment upgrades. Diana Facey is a beginner at working with clay, but finds the Wednesday afternoon With the local budget priorities in place, the next wheel pottery class, very therapeutic and an opportunity to laugh at her bumbles phase is for the regional district to formalize the agreewith the craft. For information about upcoming classes, call the VISAC Gallery at ment by establishing a bylaw that will be enacted in 364.1181to or visit visacgallery.com. March.What Type of Illness is related
While the recent snowfalls have returned the area to looking like something of a winter wonderland, in most people's estimation this winter probably seems to be a very light year so far in terms of snow accumulation. Certainly skiers at local ski hills will probably be the first to declare that the season has been sub-standard from the perspective of snow cover on their favourite runs. However, local municipalities and utility companies have to take much more into consideration than just the esthetics of the season when considering the snowpack levels in the surrounding mountains. “I've been in contact with BC Hydro and they've reported the snowpack is only slightly below average for this time of year,” said Gord DeRosa, Trail city councillor. “My own opinion is that we'll probably get the same amount of precipitation. Maybe not as snow but as rain in the spring.” The difference between what people see in cities, towns, and ski resorts and the information supplied to utility companies and municipalities is where the measurements are taken by the River Forecast Centre (RFC), an arm of the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations that is responsible for monitoring snow accumulation and stream levels in the province. RFC maintains unmanned monitoring stations at key locations in watersheds around the province at high elevations where precipitation throughout the colder months tends to accumulate as snowpack. In addition, manual snow surveys are taken eight times a year between January and June to verify the accuracy of the monitoring stations. See SNOW, Page 2
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