Prince George, B.C. - There could be a new tenant for the soon to be vacant 1411 Third Avenue building.

 

The building will be empty at the end of this year when Synovate vacates the premises. Synovate only occupied ¼ of the building which was also home to OSI Recovery.

 

The new tenant  for all, or part of the building, just might be Northern Health.

 

Chief Operating Officer for the Northern Interior sector of Northern Health, Michael MacMillan, says they are facing a space crunch and need to find some place that will ease the pressure. He won’t say if the Third Avenue is the preferred location but says they are definitely shopping for some accommodations “We have looked at every available space in the downtown and we have had some talks with the School District as well.”

 

MacMillan says there are several reasons for the space crunch, one being the successful recruitment and retention of staff filling positions which had been vacant for some time. Another factor is the IT system which allows clinicians instant access to lab results, x-rays, MRIs and other diagnostic tools. That kind of information has to be available 24/7 so there is a need for more technicians to not only ensure the system is functioning, but who can work on expanding it to other centres within the Northern Health region. A third factor is the increased number of programs being offered, and, most importantly, the development of the new Northern Cancer Centre. 

 

MacMillan says there is a great deal of planning to be done before that centre will open in 2012 and the region has already started recruiting people to work on the development details. “The Northern Cancer Centre is an expansion that is much larger, and more complex than the recent expansion of PGRH” says MacMillan.

 

He says,   the Interior region of Northern Health is seeing 3 and 4 people crammed into one, small office, especially at the Northern Health Unit.   MacMillan says close quarters do not make for a happy or healthy work environment.

 

Renovating the Northern Health Unit is not an option as the costs would be too high. He says there is a report being done that will detail the space needed and how those needs might be best addressed.

 

What Northern Health is looking for is maximum space for the right price “We are looking for the best deal possible so we can minimize the dollars going in to real estate and maximize the dollars that are going into health care.” The suitable site would have to be wheelchair accessible, affordable and not in need of any major renovations.

 

The Third Avenue building, was renovated just a little over three years ago. It has an elevator at the Brunswick Street entrance and both sections of the building have office and board room space.