Brightshores Health System has reintroduced outpatient endoscopy services at the new Markdale Hospital.
Patients requiring endoscopy procedures can schedule appointments through their general surgeon's office.
"We are excited to introduce outpatient endoscopy services at Markdale Hospital,” said Jennifer Ouellette, Site Manager. “This is a development that aligns with our ongoing commitment to providing comprehensive, accessible, and high-quality healthcare services to the community. We are dedicated to meeting the healthcare needs of our patients while leveraging the excellent facilities and space available in the Hospital.”
Brightshores Health System Director of Clinical Integration Melissa Thomson said the outpatient endoscopy services will be conducted in a dedicated procedure room equipped with the latest technology to ensure the highest standard of care.
"We will be starting doing endoscopies Mondays here one day a week," she explained. "We currently also do two days a week in our Meaford OR, as well as Wiarton and Southampton each have a day of endoscopy as well."
Thomson said restoring the service in Markdale is a testament to the collaborative efforts of our staff and physicians to enhance healthcare options in the region.
"We have staff that rotate through several of the sites," said Thomson. "So our pre-admits, the actual procedure room as well as the recovery room. So there's ones that come from other sites and as well as staff who are have that training here in Markdale."
General Surgeons at Brightshores Markdale will lead the outpatient endoscopy program. The facility is in the Ambulatory Care area, with a pass-thought to the Medical Device Reprocessing Department for efficient and thorough equipment cleaning.
Nurse Clinician Brittany Bonterre is pleased they can again offer the service, with an added bonus of hosting consultation appointments as well.
"The luxury of having the surgeons come to Markdale site, it's not only the patients will be having a procedure done here, but they will also have the opportunity to see the surgeon at a clinic in the afternoon. So the patients will be coming in, usually in the afternoon on a Monday. They're seeing the surgeon and having the procedure scheduled, and then they will return on the day of their actual procedure," she explained. "Instead of the patient's having to travel to Owen Sound to have their pre-op appointment with the physician, they'll be able to do that closer to home. So that's a big win for the patients themselves."
Bonterre added the procedures will take place Mondays in a dedicated procedure room equipped with the latest technology..
"New change room and lovely waiting area where they'll sit and be brought to the operating room for their procedure with trained registered staff," she explained. "So we have physicians here who offer sedation so the patients are kept quite comfortable throughout the procedure. And then they're taken to a recovery room where they're greeted again with registered nursing staff."
The outpatient endoscopy program will feature a 3-bay recovery room, ensuring that patients receive attentive post-procedural care in a comfortable and supportive environment.
Brightshores operates six hospitals in the Grey Bruce region including the Regional Hospital in Owen Sound, along with locations in Wiarton, Lion's Head, Southampton, and Meaford.
