Old Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre. (Photo – Sean Davies)

Burns Lake, B.C. – Demolition of the old Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre in Burns Lake begins today.

The process of clearing the site of hazardous material, decommissioning of equipment not transferred to the new facility, and disposal of other items inside the hospital has already occurred. Most of the work to take down the old hospital and health centre will include excavators to break the structure down and clear the debris.

The old Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre was built in 1960.  Over the last ten years it has had over 47,000 inpatients and 103,268 visits. In the last decade there have been over 48,000 x-rays and over 1 million lab tests conducted at the facility.

Since 2001, the Ministry of Health has provided approximately $400,000 to Northern Health for improvements to the facility. After a review, it was determined it would be too costly to refurbish the building. The land occupied by the old facility will be used for parking for the new Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre. The parking lot and landscaping work should be completed by late summer.

“The old Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre served the community very well for over 50 years and definitely leaves behind a great legacy in the Lakes District,” said John Rustad, MLA for Nechako Lakes. “It is great to know that while the hospital met the community’s needs in the past, they now have a brand-new hospital for the future.”

“There is a lot of staff working at the Lakes District Hospital for a significant amount of time, and the current demands of health care delivery definitely outstretch the old facility,” said Marie Hunter, Northern Health Lakes District Health Service Administrator. “There are a lot of memories for the staff and physicians that worked in the old facility and it will definitely be remembered fondly.”

The new facility opened to the public this February 4^th. The hospital has 16 beds and will provide acute care and emergency services, diagnostic imaging, lab services and pharmacy. A medical clinic offers primary, outpatient and acute care, delivery of mental health and addictions and public health, as well as home- and community-care services.