New women's hospital in Winnipeg welcomes first patients

Winnipeg's new women's hospital opened its doors to patients Sunday morning, more than a decade after it was initially promised.

The previous women's hospital at 735 Notre Dame Ave. and the previous neonatal intensive care unit locations at Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg stopped accepting patients when the new location opened at 7:30 a.m. Patients who were already admitted to the old hospital began transferring to the new one at 8 a.m., a spokesperson for Shared Health said in an email.

Each patient is being moved one at a time in a tightly organized sequence with built-in flexibility, the spokesperson said. All patients are expected to be moved to the new building at 665 William Ave.by this afternoon.

The patient move was planned in consultation with Health Care Relocation, a Canadian-based company. On top of regularly scheduled hospital staff, 150 hospital employees volunteered for extra shifts and additional responsibility to help with the move, the spokesperson said.

Nicole Sneath, acting director for child health, saidher team has been anticipating the new hospital for years.

"We are so lucky to have a team of experts caring for our tiniest and most vulnerable patients," said Sneathin a statement. "I have no doubt today is just one of the many more milestones we will celebrate in the new space."

The spokesperson said more information about the new hospital will be shared in the coming days.