August 14, 2024
Dr. Bryce Henderson travels from Red Deer to perform total joint arthroplasty (TJA) surgeries in the new Rocky Mountain House operating room. Photo by Heather Kipling.
Shirley Hope, left, Rocky Hospital Foundation chair, and Jessica Moncrieff, site manager, Rocky Mountain House Health Centre, say they’re grateful for the dedication and donations of local residents in the creation of a second OR for their community. Photo by Heather Kipling.
Story by Jonathan Koch | Story & photos by Heather Kipling
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE — A second operating room is up and running at Rocky Mountain House Health Centre, due in large part to the dedication and donations of local residents.
The first procedures in the new operating room took place on June 3. According to site manager Jessica Moncrieff, a second OR brings many benefits to patients in Rocky Mountain House and Clearwater County.
“Having two ORs is a big win for the site and for our area,” says Moncrieff. “Many patients will be able to receive care closer to home without having to travel or be away from family. Surgical wait times will be reduced. Should there be an emergency C-section, we have the space to accommodate it while other procedures are taking place.
“The ability to expand services provided within our community will also benefit our region,” she adds.
In addition to supporting the site’s existing surgical offerings, the new OR has enabled the expansion of services to now include knee-replacement surgery, known as total joint arthroplasty (TJA).
Dr. Bryce Henderson of Red Deer is one of the surgeons who come to Rocky Mountain House to perform TJA surgery. According to Henderson, scheduled procedures undertaken in a smaller community are free from the interruptions and other complicating scenarios surgeons may encounter in larger centres, where emergency and trauma cases can impact OR availability.
“It’s been a long time coming and is a necessary use of resources to help address wait lists,” says Henderson. “This puts resources exactly where the wait list data says we should.”
He adds that a successful program will also help attract health professionals to the community.
“There are people who want to be an OR nurse, but don’t want to go to Red Deer or somewhere bigger. Same with people who want to do anesthesia,” says Henderson. “They’ll start approaching Rocky, and with a good environment and good people, the program grows itself.”
The Government of Alberta first announced a $10-million funding allocation to build the new operating room (OR) at Rocky Mountain House Health Centre in 2021. Originally intended to be a room for minor surgical procedures, the room was upgraded to an OR in response to lobbying efforts spearheaded by the Rocky Health Foundation.
“I’m very pleased to see the second OR up and running in Rocky Mountain House” says Jason Nixon, local MLA and Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services. “It’s an exciting addition to Rocky and the surrounding communities, and will benefit many patients as we continue to work towards ensuring Albertans get their surgeries more quickly and closer to home.
“I also want to recognize the amazing generosity from the community through the Rocky Health Foundation who have come together to support this project since it was announced.”
The foundation later launched their fundraising campaign, Operation Healthy Hospital — Enhancing our new OR build, with a pledge to raise up to $750,000 to buy equipment for the new operating room. Foundation chair Shirley Hope, a former facility site lead and a driving force behind the development of a second OR, says support from donors has surpassed expectations.
“We’ve had incredible support from the community for our OR campaign,” she says. “We put out the request in November to create awareness about what we were up to, and within about three weeks we raised $750,000.” Hope says the foundation continues to fundraise to meet additional equipment requests that have been forwarded by the OR team.
“It’s a bit like moving into a new house, there are things you don’t know that you’re going to need or things you’ve forgotten, so we continued to fundraise to support purchasing new equipment,” Hope adds. For patients like Bud Scott, who resides just outside of Rocky, having his procedures done close to home makes a huge difference.
“Not having to travel far is really nice,” says Scott. “We didn’t have to arrange for a driver, and the nurses and the surgeon took really good care of me today. It was a really good experience.” Jane Smyth came from Bowden for her surgery.
“They were very good. Everyone was kind and efficient,” says Smyth. “The OR is bright and new — what a great bonus for Rocky.”
