Work Starts on Construction of Ft.St John Hospital
By 250 News
Wednesday, July 22, 2009 01:25 PM
FORT ST. JOHN – Ground has been officially broken , to mark the start of construction of the new Fort St. John Hospital and Residential Care project
The new Fort St. John Hospital and Residential Care project is being constructed on a 40-acre parcel of land donated by the City of Fort St. John. It will include a 55-bed acute care hospital and a 123-bed residential care facility, along with an integrated services centre for food, laundry and materiel services. The new hospital will replace the aging existing facility, originally constructed in 1962. The 5,000-square-metre (54,000-square-foot) residential care development will replace the aging North Peace Care Centre in Fort St. John and add new residential care capacity in the area.
The hospital will also include two new operating rooms and an endoscopy suite and incorporate single-room maternity care. The hospital and long-term care facilities will be designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification, as part of the Province’s commitment to developing green, environmentally sustainable infrastructure.
In addition, the emergency department at the new hospital will be about two-and-a-half times larger than the ER at the existing hospital, to allow for an enhanced short stay function, for patients requiring less than a 24-hour stay. The clinical decision unit has also been enhanced to allow for monitoring and decision making on how to address patient issues, such as diagnosis, cast room function, cardiac testing, home visits, etc.
The balance of this space addresses all the necessary functions the current ER has, while reflecting a newer, more updated patient flow approach.
“The population in the Fort St. John area has grown exponentially since the existing hospital was first constructed,” said Northern Health board chair Dr. Charles Jago. “This project has been one of Northern Health’s top priorities, and we are extremely pleased to see shovels in the ground.”
The total project cost is $297.9 million. This includes $98 million from the PRRHD, which includes a contribution of $95.7 million to the project and $2.3 million of PRRHD financing costs. The fixed-price contract makes certain that ISL Health assumes all construction (cost and schedule), design, long-term maintenance and operational risks, as well as other costs related to the project. ISL Health began preliminary site work in June following the signing of an early works agreement to allow crews to maximize the summer construction season in the north. Completion of the project is targeted for spring 2012.
“This is a momentous day for our community – with the start of construction we will begin to see our collective vision for improved health care taking shape,” said Mayor Bruce Lantz. “Today’s announcement marks an important stride toward improving our local economy through the creation of much-needed construction jobs and the purchase of local supplies and materials.”
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Posted by: Farnorth on July 22 2009 8:28 PM
It appears that the $297.9 million is much more than the design-build cost and includes maintenance and some aspects of operating the hospital.
It would give one a better idea what we are paying for if we know the length of the term over which this money will be paid as well as other payment inoframtion and exactly what will be received for the payments.