Souris Hospital Wi-Fi service will improve patient experience says Lions Club member

Patients at the Souris Hospital will soon have access to the world through aninternetwireless networkthanks to the local Lions Club.

The path to connectivity began in 2014 when Lion Paul Gallant needed open heart surgery and found himself at a hospital in Halifaxfor two weekswith full Wi-Fi service.He said he enjoyed being able to email family and play a little online chess.

"Besides watching TVand reading, being able toaccess the internet was a great pastime," he said.

He was discharged to Souris Hospital to continue his recovery and really missed being able to go online. That's when the idea struck him and Gallant took it to the next Lions Club meeting.

"Everybody bought into it. We just had a few meeting with the hospital administration and it went on from there," he said.

Gallant said the details have yet to be worked out, but the club will give about $1,000 a year to help with the purchase of routers and extenders plus pay for monthly fees.

Patients and families will be able to access the service throughout the upper level of the building, where the patient rooms are located.

"If you get patients in the hospital who got time on their hands and they're bored, it's peace of mind and that's a step towards healing. If you're content, you're going to heal quicker, better," he said.

Gallant said he also hoped the club will benefit from helping provide Wi-Fiservice. When patients log on, the Lions Club logo will come up on their screens.

"I think it could be a potential membership tool," he said. "People might appreciate what we're doing and say 'maybe I should join that.'"

No special fundraising will be needed to finance the project and Gallant said he's pleased it's going forward.

"I felt there was a need there. SourisHospital is not a big hospital and I thought it was something that was achievable and not even thinking that it would be successful," he said.

According to Health PEI, both the Souris and Queen Elizabeth hospitals recently installed free Wi-Fi in some patient care areas and waiting rooms.

"We recently issued a request for proposals asking internet service providers to set up a public Wi-Fi system in health care facilities across the province. This public Wi-Fi system will be separate from the protected wireless service used by our doctors and other health care staff," Health PEI said in a written statement.

"We are currently reviewing vendor proposals before determining next steps to installing the service. We intend to have a plan in place in the coming weeks with work commencing thereafter."