People in Portage la Prairie have been asking if the new Portage District General Hospital will perform well, meeting the needs of the community now, and in the future.

According to the architects working on the project, they believe the answer is a resounding yes.

Jerald Peters is with ft3 Architecture Landscape Interior Design in Winnipeg and was at a presentation last Wednesday when those questions were asked. He says there are plenty of new features the community can get excited about.

"One of the features of the new hospital is a cultural room, which will be primarily for our indigenous friends to be able to feel welcome and included in the medical care," says Peters. That's a feature of the design."

ft3 has also been working with Architecture49 out of Winnipeg. Peters says the partnership allows for some high-tech work to be done.

"The new facility will be the first complete facility in Southern Health-Santé Sud that will have fully electronic medical records," says Peters. "That's a bit of a pilot for the region and it's something that's appropriate for a state-of-the-art facility like this will be."

It's believed the hospital will be open in 2025.