The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

4 - Orono Weekly Times Wednesday, March 10, 2010 Hospital ready for next level by Maggie Savage Lakeridge Health announced last week that they are ready to move forward and begin part two of their construction project, at Bowmanville Hospital. This project is needed to make the hospital more safe and efficient for patients. With a new Gift Shop and mammography area (breast screening) due to be finished, Bowmanville Hospital is in need of a new Critical Care Unit (CCU), telemetry (electronic monitoring) unit, as well as a new Emergency Room. Lakeridge Health has agreed to add a new CCU (on the second floor) and telemetry unit, with the Emergency Room project to follow afterwards. Telemetry patients and the nurses who electronically monitor their status are currently on different floors of the hospital. This situation risks response delays and communication challenges - threatening quality and safety. This project will put in place an important building block for the hospital's growth and set it on a path towards its bright future, noted Kevin Empey, President and CEO of Lakeridge Health. "Lakeridge Health Bow-manville is at an awkward point in its development -- too big and busy for the status quo yet too small to attract the health professionals needed in our growing community," said Doug Allingham, Chair of the Lakeridge Health Board of Trustees. "The Bowmanville campus needs a jolt of new investment to kick start it towards the next level." The Memorial Hospital Foundation has agreed to put $1.3 million towards the construction of the CCU and telemetry unit. The total cost of the second level will be based on the architectural designs and the overall process. Construction will take about 10 months and is to be completed in late fall, 2010. The Emergency Room project will take place once the CCU and the telemetry unit are completed. "We have a terrific opportunity to continue to support the Hospital to be everything it needs to be as people get older, families grow and their health care needs change. The CCU is just the spring board for the overall development of the Hospital," said Gerry Johnson, Chair of the Memorial Hospital Foundation- Bowmanville. photo supplied Directors, members, and friends of the Visual Arts Centre feted departing Executive Director, Richard Toms ( Far R) and Stacy Toms (Far L) who, after 10 years with the VAC are leaving to open a gallery and sweets shop on Prince Edward Island. Among the parting gifts, staff presented Richard and Stacy with a VAC paving stone to install at their new enterprise.