The renovations and reconfiguration of the first floor of critical care services at the hospital  took one year to complete at a cost of $2.4 million dollars.

The renovation project relocated several hospital departments to the main floor. Ambulatory care and day care surgery services are now located immediately next to the hospital's operating room. The hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) is now closer to the facility's emergency room. The relocations provide better use of surgical time, better flow of patient activity, and improved nursing activity in day care surgery and the post-anesthetic recovery room.

Northern Health Board Chair Jeff Burghardt says the improvements are vital to maintaining effective care delivery in Northern Health region's hospitals "We're working very hard to make certain patients across northern British Columbia benefit from local access to high-quality health services."

Burghardt, along with  former UNBC President Charles Jago will soon take another step towards local access to "high quality health services" when they present their  Cancer Treatment  Strategy  Report to the Premier.  That  presentation is expected  to be made  within the next couple of weeks.  It is not likely that report will be made public until the fall.