The ramp is too narrow for wheelchairs to pass each other

The new front entrance at the Bethesda Regional Health Centre in Steinbach is being reviewed. A number of people have complained that the wheel chair ramp is too steep and narrow and that the stairs are difficult to negotiate for people who have trouble walking. Jan Gunness, Vice-President of Clinical Standards and Chief Nursing Officer for Southern Health-Santé Sud, says they are listening.

"Since the very first day it opened, we have had complaints and concerns brought forward to us. We appreciate all the feedback from the public and acknowledge and understand the expressed concerns for access to the hospital. We take it all very seriously. We are looking at possible solutions with the architect and Manitoba Health."

Gunness notes, right from the start, it was a big challenge to design the front entrance.

"There was no question there were many challenges with the design of the front entrance. Many existing conditions needed to be considered such as the physical location of the existing building when we were doing the renovations, the height of the former entrance, there was quite a steep hill coming up to the front of the hospital before we started construction, the distance between the existing building and the street and public property, as well as the distance that people had to traverse to get into the hospital, we had to consider all of that in the design."

Gunness reiterates they are in discussions about possible solutions to make the front entrance better.