A newly renovated test centre at the Lachine Hospital

In addition to a new building, the historic Lachine Hospital will have two floors renovated. This means that, by 2027, the test centre will be located in brand-new premises with modern and streamlined facilities.

Louise Gagnon, Laboratory Manager at the Lachine Hospital and Montreal General Hospital Central Laboratory, enthusiastically shares the improvements to come. "Each test station will be separated from the others. Special emphasis will be placed on confidentiality and security. Currently, the facilities don’t allow for optimal confidentiality. With the renovation, the premises will meet the ISO 15189 standard specified by the Bureau des normes du Québec. There will be four cubicles: two regular stations, one with a stretcher, and another designed especially for bariatric patients (patients living with obesity). Bariatric surgery is one of the hospital's specialties. Finally, at the far end of the four cubicles, there is a dispatch centre to the Glen, where several specific tests are performed.”

Every weekday morning, from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., there will be three employees dedicated to collecting samples, plus two administrative staff. In addition, it will no longer be necessary to enter the hospital to drop off samples. There will be a drop-off counter at the main entrance. With this counter, it will be easier to deliver the coolers containing the samples.

A pneumatic tube will connect the drop-off area directly to the laboratories. It is important to remember that for some analyses, such as blood gas tests, there is only a 30-minute window to perform the tests – so there is no time to waste. Pneumatic tubes are a significant addition to the efficiency of the testing centre and laboratory on the third floor.

Assistant Chief Technologist, Benoit Charrette describes how, between the time he participated in Lean workshops in 2014, setting the hospital's modernization project in motion, to the actual hospital design, Clic Santé came into being, and appointment booking was centralized. "Clic Santé is an undeniable success," says Benoit. "Here, like everywhere else, people no longer wait in line for a blood test. They come when they're supposed to, and the process runs smoothly," he adds.

Louise has been at Lachine Hospital since 2011. Her vision of a community hospital is one in which the small team she leads with Benoit Charrette and Karen Ng, the Assistant Quality Manager, work closely together to provide exceptional care. It’s also an environment where everyone knows one another. “Lachine will always feel like one big family,” concludes Louise.