Internet access now available at Barrie Memorial Hospital

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The Barrie Memorial Hospital Foundation (BMHF) has been covering the costs of providing free internet access to emergency room patients for the past several years. Now, hospitalized patients and their families can also benefit from reliable wireless internet access, thanks to the foundation.

“More and more people bring their computer or tablet when they are hospitalized,” says BMHF vice-president Philippe Besombes. The foundation reached out to the Centre intégré de santé et services sociaux de la Montérégie-Ouest (CISSSMO), which agreed to allow the foundation to install a router on the third floor.

According to Besombes, the Barrie Memorial is not the first of the three hospitals in the Montérégie-Ouest to offer free WiFi services to all its patients. “For us it is a big plus, and it was one of the things we really wanted to do for the well-being of patients at the hospital,” he explained, noting that while many now have data plans included with their phones, many do not have unlimited access to the internet through their devices.

Besombes says the next big project for the foundation revolves around the hospital’s current CT scanner, which was installed in 2010 and is due to be replaced. The CT scanner and necessary renovations to the medical imaging department at that time cost $1,94 million, to which the BMHF contributed $1,44 million.

“When we bought this scanner for the hospital, it was the most powerful scanner in the region,” Besombes says, “but now it is at the end of its life.” This time around, the foundation will not finance the equipment but will finance the necessary renovations to the department. “We are planning to spend around $250,000,” he reveals, suggesting the foundation will soon begin fundraising for the project.

The Gleaner reached out to the CISSSMO to confirm the regional health authority was planning to replace the CT scanner, but did not receive a response by press time.

“We think it is at least two years away,” says Besombes, noting the authorization and procurement process with the CISSSMO will no doubt take some time.

PHOTO Sarah Rennie The president of the Barrie Memorial Hospital Foundation, Robert Greig, and vice-president Philippe Besombes tested the Wi-Fi signal on the third floor of the hospital last week. Hospitalized patients and their families can now benefit from free wireless internet access throughout the hospital.

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