Interior Health says a $2.5 million donation from Teck Resources will go a long way to help with ongoing renovations at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.

The soon to the named Teck Emergency Department will feature antimicrobial copper surfaces and equipment which Interior Health says will help protect patients and health-care workers by reducing the spread of infectious disease.

“This donation is very welcomed and will very much have a great impact on our patients families and our healthcare workers that work in that facility,” Diane Shendruk, the Vice President of Clinical Operations for Interior Health North, told NL News.

“It really is an innovative approach and their donation will add a further level of protection to our patients and healthcare staff and physicians. Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital also has had installation of anti-microbial copper surfaces so this is the second hospital within Interior Health.”

According to Interior Health, copper has unique antimicrobial properties and is proven effective in eliminating up to 99.9 per cent of harmful bacteria within two hours of contact.

“Through our copper and health program, Teck is helping to make communities safer through the use of antimicrobial copper in public spaces,” Teck president and CEO, Don Lindsay, said, in a statement.

“Royal Inland Hospital provides care in the same region as our Highland Valley Copper operation and we’re very proud to make this important contribution supporting the health and well-being of health care workers, patients and the public for years to come.”

Renovations to the emergency department – part of Phase 2 of the Royal Inland Hospital modernization project – got underway last month. In addition to the emergency department, work will also take place at the post-anaesthetic recovery department, the pediatric unit, and the morgue.

“The emergency department, yes that is the biggest piece because that is the part where the public come in,” Gerry Desilets, the Interim Executive Director at Royal Inland Hospital, told NL News last month.

“The largest changes for that is the new permanent emergency entrance at RIH is located at the roundabout that is near the old coffee shop. There is no longer any emergency parking near the ambulance bay.”

Both Shendruk and Desilets said people coming to RIH should watch for signs directing them around the hospital and where to park while this work is underway.

“Short term public parking for the emergency department is now located in two places – one on the right side of the drive leading to the roundabout and on level P2 of the staff parkade where there will be signage in place to designate emergency overflow parkin,” Desilets added.

While the renovated emergency room is set to open to the public sometime in 2024, work on the entire Phase 2 of the modernization project is not excepted to be completed until sometime in 2026.