Enhanced health-care services are on the way for people in the fast-growing area of the South Okanagan as the state-of-the-art David E. Kampe Tower at Penticton Regional Hospital (PRH) is set to open to patients April 29, 2019.

“This is a great day for public health care for people in Penticton and throughout the South Okanagan, as the David E. Kampe Tower will deliver better care for families,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “The facility will have more beds, more operating rooms, state-of-the-art diagnostics and easy access to a number of outpatient services.”

The 84-bed modern tower has single patient rooms, each with its own washroom. A new ambulatory care centre has outpatient services, including cardiology, neurology, orthopedics, respiratory, pre-surgical screening and maternal clinics. Surgical services at the tower include five operating rooms, three minor procedure rooms, two endoscopy rooms and a cystoscopy room.

The six-storey facility will have a nuclear medicine program, rooftop helipad and space for the UBC faculty of medicine program to expand. A new, permanent MRI machine that scans up to 46% faster – almost double the number of scans each year – in the tower will replace a mobile unit and is the first of its kind in Canada. The MRI room has several features to make patients feel more comfortable, including a TV, head-set and other amenities.

The tower also makes health-care services easier to access by bringing programs throughout the hospital into one location.

The tower is named in honour of David E. Kampe, owner of Peters Bros. Construction, a major donor to the Penticton Regional Hospital. Kampe is a Penticton philanthropist and has made numerous donations toward improving health-care services in the region.

“I thank David Kampe for his generous donations to this project and for all he does in the community, giving back and helping others, making people’s lives better,” Dix said. “The community as a whole has gotten behind this project through its support for the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation, which is raising $20 million to help purchase much of the equipment for the tower.”

The total project cost of $312.5 million was shared between the provincial government, Okanagan-Similkameen Regional Hospital District, Interior Health and South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation.

Quotes:

David E. Kampe –

“The development of Penticton Regional Hospital is near and dear to my heart, having lived and worked in the South Okanagan for my entire life. Being able to support the hospital project is a great honour. When I look at what we have built, I think of the families that will benefit from the facility and the medical professionals and support staff that will provide the first-class services. While I appreciate the acknowledgment, the thanks should go to the people who made this vision a reality and the people who provide the services. I’m thrilled to see this new tower opening.”

Doug Cochrane, board chair, Interior Health –

“We are thrilled to see this project so close to opening the doors to patients. Come April 29th, the David E. Kampe Tower will transform the way health-care is delivered at Penticton Regional Hospital, providing patients with a comfortable healing environment that will allow for the best health outcomes possible, and our health-care workers with a facility that matches their skills, commitment and compassion.”

Petra Veintimilla, chair, Okanagan Similkameen Regional Hospital District –

“As a regional hospital, the new David E. Kampe Tower at Penticton Regional Hospital will benefit all of the taxpayers of the Okanagan and Similkameen. This is a building that the entire region should be proud of and we are thrilled to see the commitment of taxpayers' dollars coming to fruition with the completion of the new tower.”

Gerry Ryan, chair, South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation –

“The South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation has raised almost $19 million to date in its $20-million campaign to provide medical equipment for the PRH expansion. The community response to the fundraising effort has been tremendous. It’s really heartwarming to see how many residents, businesses and service organizations throughout our region have responded to our fundraising drive. It reflects the importance people place on quality health care in our area.”

Dr. Allan Jones, regional associate dean, UBC faculty of medicine –

“The new UBC medical education space offers exceptional learning facilities and resources for students and residents training at Penticton Regional Hospital and in the community. It also provides an outstanding teaching resource for our clinical faculty and more opportunities to engage in professional development.”

Learn More:

For more information about David E. Kampe Tower, visit: www.buildingpatientcare.ca

A backgrounder follows.