From the opening the newest hospital on Haida Gwaii, to preparing for construction of a new Centre for Mental Health and Addictions, 2016 strengthened health care for families around the province and 2017 is expected to continue to do so.

“Having been on hand to open a number of significant capital projects throughout the province from Kamloops to Haida Gwaii, I know how important these milestones are to the community,” said Health Minister Terry Lake. “These projects are investments in communities – investments which will not only benefit the health of all British Columbians, but also provide world-class work environments for health professionals and create thousands of jobs.”

Capital project highlights from 2016 include:

• The $69.1 million Clinical Services Building at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, which officially opened Aug. 15, 2016, adding 5,200 square metres (55,975 square feet) of patient care and education space.
• Haida Gwaii Hospital and Health Centre - Xaayda Gwaay Ngaaysdll Naay was officially opened Nov. 24, 2016. Over 2,200 cubic metres (2,877 cubic yards) of topsoil and rock was taken from the site to make way for the new $50-million facility.
• A new intensive care unit and electrical system upgrade at East Kootenay Regional Hospital was unveiled Feb. 19, 2016. Just over $42 million in health-sector capital funding has been invested at the hospital on various upgrades since 2001.
• The hybrid operating room at Vancouver General Hospital opened in December 2016. This $7.36-million OR features sophisticated imaging equipment that can rotate around the patient, helping with complex surgeries by taking bigger and brighter images, including 3D.

Improvements in British Columbia’s hospitals come in many forms and can include new buildings on existing hospital campuses and significant refurbishments of existing infrastructure.

In 2017, a number of projects are scheduled to come online, including:

• A dedicated hospital unit for youth with mental-health and substance use challenges, expected to open in spring 2017 at the HOpe Centre at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver.
• Official opening in summer 2017 of the Joseph & Rosalie Segal Family Health Centre in Vancouver to help support those living with mental illness and substance-use challenges.
• The opening of the Teck Acute Care Centre in fall 2017, enhancing care at BC Children’s and BC Women’s hospitals.
• The North Island Hospitals Project, opening new hospitals in the Comox Valley and Campbell River in the fall of 2017.
• Awarding the design-build contract for the Centre for Mental Health and Addictions, with work expected to start in fall 2017. The 105-bed facility will be located on the Riverview lands in Coquitlam, replacing the current Burnaby Centre for Mental Health and Addictions.
• The new $4.02-million Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Stabilization Unit at Surrey Memorial Hospital will provide short-stay assessment and crisis stabilization for children between the ages six and 17 years in acute psychiatric crisis, requiring urgent hospital intervention. The unit is expected to open in spring 2017.

Approximately $11 billion has been spent on health-sector capital projects in British Columbia since 2001. By March 31, 2019, a further $3 billion is expected to have been invested by the health sector on capital projects in British Columbia.