Interior residents are one step closer to a new $79.8-million Clinical Services Building at Royal Inland Hospital, with the start of Phase 1 of the hospital's redevelopment today.

"It is very exciting to watch as development gets underway and work progresses at Royal Inland Hospital," said of Minister of Health Terry Lake. "Once complete, the Clinical Services Building will feature new expanded clinical outpatient space, improved building access and additional parking that will benefit patients not only in Kamloops, but across the Interior."

The site preparation consists of excavating the front lawn of Royal Inland Hospital and relocating hydro and other utility services to prepare for construction starting next spring.

The new Clinical Services Building will improve access to care and provide expanded space for a variety of services, including the UBC medical school and clinical educational program, expanded medical outpatient services, up to 350 additional parking stalls and a walkway connecting the new building to the main hospital.

Construction on the Clinical Services Building is expected to commence in spring 2014 and take approximately two years to complete.

Following the invitation to tender issued earlier this month to pre-qualified contractors, the contract for site preparation was issued to Delnor Construction on Aug. 28, 2013.

"With site preparation work now underway, it's great to be here with the community to acknowledge the start of a significant project for Kamloops and the surrounding region," said Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone. "This work brings us one step closer to the beginning of construction on the hospital's new Clinical Services Building."

In addition to the site preparation work, Interior Health is in the process of selecting a preferred proponent to design and build the new Clinical Services Building. The request for proposals for the design/build was released to three shortlisted proponents on Aug. 30, 2013. The successful proponent is expected to be chosen next spring.

"Interior Health is committed to delivering quality patient care to its residents. The Clinical Services Building will help us continue to deliver that care, and to ensure access for patients in the Kamloops region," says Interior Health board chair Norman Embree.

The Clinical Services Building is cost-shared between the Province and the Thompson Regional Hospital District.

"As a tertiary referral hospital, Royal Inland plays an important role in the health care of not just residents in Kamloops, but across the entire Thompson region," said Thompson Regional Hospital District chair and Kamloops Mayor Peter Milobar. "It's good to see the ground broken at the hospital, and we look forward to the continuation of work when construction begins on the Clinical Services Building next year."

Royal Inland Hospital's redevelopment is just one example of the added capacity the government of British Columbia is building in the health system as part of record investments in health services.

Since 2001, more than $8.4 billion has been invested in health capital projects provincewide.

(flickr.com)

Media Contacts:

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

Tracy Watson
Communications Officer
Interior Health
250 314-2100 (3754)