Future Options For Old Ft. St. John Hospital Being Explored

Tuesday, December 21, 2010 11:09 AM

Fort St. John, B.C.- When the new Fort St. John Hospital and Residential Care project is complete in 2012, what will happen with the existing facility?

That is a question Northern Health is trying to answer.

A 2009 architectural and engineering study to evaluate the building’s potential for future use showed the existing facility will not be suitable for providing in-patient health services beyond 2012, other NH programs and departments could make use of the facility. A redevelopment committee will now examine, and present to the Northern Health board, options for the current hospital’s potential re-use.

“Northern Health has many important programs and departments in addition to those that provide acute and inpatient care”, said Betty Morris, NH’s chief operating officer for the Northeast. “The current hospital could serve as a potential location for services like Public Health, Home and Community Care, and other administrative and support functions.”

The existing Fort St. John Hospital is more than 40 years old, and was built to serve a much smaller population - about 4,000, rather than the approximately 69,000 people that it serves today. Over the years, the hospital has undergone a number of renovations and expansions.

The redevelopment committee will prepare a business case for presentation to the NH Board of Directors at its June 2011 meeting.

The new $297.9 million hospital and residential care project is on track to open its doors to patients in summer 2012.

A separate process is also underway to assess the future of the North Peace Care Centre, which was built in the mid-1970’s, and will also be replaced by the new hospital and residential care project.

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Posted on Tuesday, December 21, 2010 11:09 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: He spoke on December 21 2010 1:15 PM

CASINO

Posted by: He spoke on December 21 2010 2:40 PM

Hearing no other possible solution, Casino it is

Posted by: gus on December 21 2010 3:55 PM

From a distance, the waste seems unbelievable. I am not familiar with the existing hospital.

What I do know is that in large cities, okd hospitals have often been simply been refurbishes. The original Civic Hospital in Ottawa, for instance, has become part of the multiple building/location Ottawa Hospital with the Civic, which was originally built around 1924, being turned into a modern teaching hospital building with over 450 beds.

http://ottawadailyfoto.blogspot.com/2009/12/ottawa-civic-hospital-in-light-of.html

One would have thought that the matter of how the building would be used would have been handled at the onset, rather than this late in the game. Even if it had been decided to not keep the existing building, I would have thought that the exercise would have done in one simple stage and be done with it.

I suggest, like the London Bridge, and a few castles in the world, it be dismantled and shipped to some country where they do not have enough hospitals .... of course we may have to send the doctors, nurses and other staff as well .....

I mean look at the outside of this building. 48 years old.

http://www2.northernhealth.ca/News_Events/Media_Centre_and_News/FortStJohnprojectdetails.asp

I just have to scratch my head and wonder what is wrong with our society, or maybe it is just the northern society in this Province. We can't maintain roads, buildings and our capital investments in general.

On top of that, in my opinion, the stuff we build today is not built to as good a quality as the buildings we are replacing in many cases. So this one lasted 48 years. The new one may not last much more than 35 years.

Posted by: Loki on December 21 2010 4:04 PM

wood first? Just like the keg?