One big happy at the new hospital

A short-lived strike that had threatened to disrupt progress on Sault Ste. Marie’s $400 million new hospital construction project is over.

Harry Koskenoja, director of new hospital development with Sault Area Hospital, learned just before a hospital board meeting last night that a settlement had been reached with about 20 heavy equipment operators employed by Avery Construction.

The workers, members of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793, began strike action on Monday.

While other unionized workers had been reporting to work, they could have decided to honour picket lines at some point.

Doing so would have brought construction to a virtual halt.

Some truck drivers with scheduled deliveries to the site did not cross picket lines yesterday.

Hospital directors were told last night that the new hospital construction remains on budget and on schedule.

Hospital officials recently travelled to Brampton, Ontario to discuss last year's relocation to that community's new William Osler Health Centre.

"They had a few pretty painful experiences," Koskenoja said.

A visit was also made to Peterborough to witness the move to the new Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

Here in the Sault, the first round of user-group meetings on the move to the new hospital site is scheduled for next month.

Koskenoja reported that our new hospital was 32 percent complete as of August 31 with 90 percent of the concrete poured.

Jobs completed over the past month

- site servicing - foundation and backfill - concrete slabs in blocks C, CC, D, DD - structural steel erected - roofing completed on blocks BB, C, CC, D

Jobs currently underway

- vapour barrier and insulation - sprayed fire protection - roofing on blocks DD and penthouse - curtain wall and windows on blocks C, CC, D, DD - mechanical and electrical

The radiation bunker concrete work was almost completed over the past month, but some slabs are still being poured.

In some areas of the bunker, the concrete is eight feet thick.

Other items from last night's meeting

- Lost-time incidents at Sault Area Hospital are up significantly. No one knows why.

- Sick time is also above the targeted levels. A new attendance improvement program will be launched next month.

- A new vice president of medical affairs and a new director of communications and public affairs will be recruited by next month.

- Patient satisfaction, as measured by the hospital's daily patient satisfaction program, continues to improve. It is currently 95.8 percent.

- Carillion Services assumed responsibility earlier this month for management of SAH's physical plant, maintenance, security, housekeeping and central transport.

- The hospital is running a $4 million deficit this year, which is considered on budget. The North East Local Health Integration Network recently approved an additional $10 million cash advance to SAH, bringing the total amount it has advanced to our hospital to $20 million, all of which mus be repaid by March 31, 2009. Hospital officials will need to increase their bank line of credit next year to repay this obligation.