Richmond Hospital expansion: moving forward. (flickr.com)

Media Contacts

Lindsay Byers

Press Secretary
Deputy Communications Director
Office of the Premier
Lindsay.Byers@gov.bc.ca

Ministry of Health

Communications
250 952-1887 (media line)

Backgrounders

What people are saying about Richmond Hospital

Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions –

“For people who need mental health care, we’re building a system where treatment is on par with any other health condition. This will be a gamechanger and I’m grateful to everyone involved in making this expansion a reality.”

Aman Singh, MLA, Richmond-Queensborough –

“This is a significant day for people in Richmond as we have taken this big step of business plan approval of the expansion of Richmond Hospital. It’s exciting that we are closer to seeing shovels go in the ground.”

Henry Yao, MLA, Richmond South Centre –

“This is great news for people in Richmond as well as our health-care workers. Our government is a proud supporter of public health-care, and with business plan approval for an expanded Richmond Hospital, which includes a patient care tower, I look forward to seeing the next steps in the project.”

Kelly Greene, MLA, Richmond-Steveston –

“Our community has been asking for a larger Richmond Hospital for years and I’m so proud that government showed leadership to get this important project moving forward. With official approval of the business plan, construction is just around the corner.”

Penny Ballem, board chair, Vancouver Coastal Health –

“Today’s announcement is another big step forward in Vancouver Coastal Health’s vision for an innovative and modern acute-care facility that meets the growing needs of our Richmond community. The expansion will increase access, services and our ability to better serve  patients and clients for years to come.”

Natalie Meixner, president and CEO, Richmond Hospital Foundation –

“We are ecstatic to have final confirmation that this important project is moving forward and extend our deep gratitude to all of the families, businesses and organizations that have contributed philanthropically to help make it a reality. People in Richmond have been champions for this essential development for many years and we are so proud of how our richly diverse community has come together to champion change.”

Richmond Hospital expansion

Phases 1 and 2

  • Design work will begin immediately on initial renovations to the Milan Ilich Pavilion, with construction on those renovations starting in 2022 to accommodate cancer care and other services.
  • Relocation of services and demolition of Park Centre and Rotunda buildings.
  • Park Centre is home to a cancer care clinic and psychiatric emergency unit; the Rotunda hosts offices and meeting rooms.
  • Construction of the new Yurkovich Family Pavilion.
  • The new tower will have 216 beds.
  • The North Tower is expected to be ready for patients in 2028.

Phase 3

  • South Tower and Milan Ilich Pavilion redevelopment.
  • The South Tower will have 137 beds.
  • Renovations to the South Tower and additional renovations to the Milan Ilich Pavilion are expected to be complete in 2029.

Phase 4

  • Demolition of the North Tower and power plant is expected to begin in 2028 and be complete in 2031.
Provincial health-care investments

The Province has announced 15 major health capital projects since 2017 to replace outdated facilities and meet the needs of growing communities, including:

  • Richmond: Richmond Hospital expansion business plan approval (July 2021)
  • Surrey: new hospital business plan approval (March 2021)
  • Cowichan Valley: new Cowichan District Hospital business plan approval (September 2020)
  • Prince George: University Hospital of Northern BC concept plan approval (September 2020)
  • Dawson Creek: Dawson Creek and District Hospital business plan approval (September 2020)
  • Vancouver: new children’s complex care transition centre concept plan approval (September 2020)
  • Fort St. James: Stuart Lake Hospital business plan approval (January 2020)
  • Burnaby: Burnaby Hospital redevelopment (September 2019)
  • Williams Lake: Cariboo Memorial Hospital (July 2019)
  • Quesnel: G.R. Baker ED and ICU (March 2019)
  • Vancouver: St. Paul’s Hospital (February 2019)
  • Trail: Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital pharmacy and ambulatory care (February 2019)
  • Nanaimo: ICU for Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (November 2018)
  • North Shore: Lions Gate Hospital (September 2018)
  • Terrace: Mills Memorial Hospital (February 2018)

As of July 2021, 24 urgent and primary care centres have been opened around B.C., including: Surrey North, Surrey-Newton, Kamloops, Kelowna, West Kelowna, Vernon, Quesnel, Westshore, Vancouver (REACH), North Vancouver, Vancouver City Centre, Prince George, Nanaimo, Burnaby, Ridge Meadows, Castlegar, James Bay, North Quadra, Abbotsford, Esquimalt, Richmond, Penticton, Vancouver Northeast and Tri-Cities.

Primary care networks are improving access to team-based care in communities throughout the province. This includes networks in Burnaby, Ridge Meadows, Fraser Northwest, South Okanagan Similkameen, Richmond, Prince George, North Shore, Central Okanagan, Vancouver, Central Interior, Comox Valley, White Rock and South Surrey, Cowichan, Mission, Kootenay Boundary, East Kootenay, South Island, Oceanside and Chilliwack.

The first nurse practitioner-led primary care clinic under the Province’s primary care strategy opened its doors in June 2020 to serve people and families in the greater Nanaimo region. Two other primary care nurse practitioner clinics opened in Surrey and Victoria in September 2020.

As part of B.C.’s primary care strategy, the Province has announced three community health centres. RISE Community Health Centre opened in June 2020, Island Sexual Health in Victoria and Umbrella Co-op in Vancouver were announced in September 2020. Community health centres are community-governed, not-for-profit organizations with services tailored to meet the health needs of the community they serve.

The provincial government has made possible tens of thousands more MRI exams by boosting the number of MRI machines, and keeping them running longer, so people can have their diagnoses and access care faster.