Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett, on behalf of Minister of Health Michael de Jong, was joined by representatives of the Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District and Interior Health to celebrate the reopening of Deni House.

The Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District fully funded the $1.9 million in renovations required to reopen the top floor of Deni House as a 28-bed residential care facility. Interior Health funds the annual operating costs, estimated at approximately $2 million.

Deni House reopened to patients on Nov. 28 and now offers a mix of bright single- and three-bed patient rooms. Of the 28 new beds, nine are designated short-stay for respite and convalescent care and are located in the shared rooms. These include three beds for respite care and four for convalescent care. The remaining two short-stay beds are designated for palliative care and share a family room. The family room features amenities, including a kitchenette, that allow loved ones to stay overnight.

Residential care facilities provide 24-hour professional nursing care and supervision in a protective, supportive environment for people who have complex care needs and can no longer be cared for in their own homes.

The new beds at Deni House provide increased capacity for residential care in the Cariboo region and complement the existing supports for seniors and families that are in place throughout the province. These include the 113 publicly-funded residential care beds at Williams Lake Seniors Village.

Quotes:

Rick Mumford, chair Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District -

"The Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District is pleased to have provided what seniors from the Cariboo Chilcotin have asked us to do. This project is truly reflective of the input from our stakeholders, and has helped us provide our communities with a facility that will continue to serve our region well into the future."

Quick Facts:

The renovation work at Deni House included:

• Redeveloping the current series of rooms into new single- and triple-patient rooms with ceiling lifts installed over each bed.
• Upgrades to resident washrooms for handicapped accessibility.
• Replacement of outdated nurse call and fire alarm systems.
• Upgrades and repair to the central cooling and air handling systems.
• Upgrades to data and telephone lines for wireless capabilities.
• Minor renovations to other areas of the facility.

B.C. currently has 31,601 residential care, assisted living and group home beds - a 24 per cent increase since 2001.

Media Contacts:

Ryan Jabs
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Health
250 952-1887 (media line)

Erin Toews
Interior Health Communications
250 574-1523
250 314-2100, ext. 3750

Shelly Burich
Manager of Communications
Cariboo Regional District
250 392-3351, ext 213
1 800 665-1636
sburich@cariboord.bc.ca