When the new emergency department at the Misericordia Community Hospital opens in 2023, patients will walk into a triage area full of natural light and with expanded patient areas and treatment spaces.

What they may not see is that nestled within the department is a state-of-the-art space dedicated to training staff to be prepared for any situation. 

When staff practice simulations in real-life settings with the same equipment they use every day, it can shave seconds off procedures in which every moment counts. The training lab, part of Alberta Health Services’ eSim Provincial Simulation Program, will provide many opportunities for clinical educators to deliver interactive educational programming for healthcare workers using specialized simulation equipment.

“We’re really excited for the training space to open with the new emergency department,” says Jo Ann Molloy, senior operating officer at the Misericordia Community Hospital. “Simulation training in a purpose-built space like this will benefit staff throughout the hospital, not just in the emergency department. 

It is the combination of education and health care in the department that resonated with the board of trustees for the Edmonton Civic Employees Charitable Assistance Fund (ECECAF), and it’s why it chose to donate $500,000 to the Covenant Foundation for the project.

“We believe in good health care for all,” says Roberta Hykawy, chair of the board for ECECAF. “In order to maintain this high standard, we need to ensure our healthcare providers get the proper education they need in a timely manner and on an ongoing basis to keep ahead of the curve.”

Misericordia staff and patients will also benefit from having a larger emergency department that provides greater safety and privacy.

The new department is designed to receive 60,000 visits annually, with patients coming from across the Edmonton area and northern Alberta at a time of urgent need. The current emergency department receives more than 50,000 patient visits annually, twice the capacity it was designed to support.

In addition to 66 treatment spaces (an increase of 40 from the current department), the new emergency department will include more ambulance bays, acute care spaces and mental health beds.

The design was created with patients in mind, and that is reflected in other specialty areas like the patient lounge with a children’s play area, waiting areas throughout the department and landscaping around the building that is visible from inside.

The new Misericordia emergency department is a priority campaign for the Covenant Foundation. Funds raised through the Covenant Foundation Lottery also support the Misericordia and Grey Nuns community hospitals.

Construction of the $65-million Misericordia emergency department is expected to finish in late 2022, and the department will open to the public in 2023.