Wednesday September 13, 2023 | BURNABY, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Health Minister Adrian Dix opened his remarks in a press conference today saying that the overdose crisis and the pandemic are top concerns in BC health care “where some of the best work in health care in the province” is being done.
He also briefly noted that it’s important to get the “balance and incentives right” when it comes to hiring and staffing in the health-care system.
But the announcement was primarily about a business plan that has been approved for a new inpatient tower and integrated cancer centre, as part of Phase 2 of the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment. He called cancer care “critical”.
The new tower under construction at the Burnaby Hospital will be home to a new BC Cancer Centre, said Dix. It will include 54 ambulatory care rooms, 31 chemotherapy chairs, space for five linear accelerators, space for two PET/CT scanners, an oncology pharmacy, and clinical trials and research space.
Burnaby has the third-largest municipal population in BC. Burnaby is within the Fraser Health Authority.
Dix highlighted that the new six-storey 83-bed Phase I redevelopment of the Burnaby Hospital has a target opening date of 2025. It will include a maternity wing and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
There will be treatment areas for substance use, a larger emergency department with more treatment beds. More doctors will be working there, said Minister Dix.
Phase One (2021-2026):
The first phase includes construction of the new Keith and Betty Beedie Pavilion and the expansion of the existing Support Facilities Building.
The new six-storey Keith and Betty Beedie Pavilion will have 83 beds, in primarily single-patient rooms with private bathrooms. It will include:
- mental health and substance use unit with a secured outdoor patio to enhance healing
- maternity unit that will provide single-room maternity care, where individuals will go through labour and delivery, and will recover for the rest of their stay in the same comfortable room
- neonatal intensive care unit with single rooms for more privacy and comfort for families as well as support best practices for infection control
- medical unit with negative pressure rooms and outbreak zones to enhance infection control
- underground parking for improved accessibility.
- mental health and substance use unit with a secured outdoor patio to enhance healing
- maternity unit that will provide single-room maternity care, where individuals will go through labour and delivery, and will recover for the rest of their stay in the same comfortable room
- neonatal intensive care unit with single rooms for more privacy and comfort for families as well as support best practices for infection control
- medical unit with negative pressure rooms and outbreak zones to enhance infection control
- underground parking for improved accessibility.
The expansion and renovations of the Support Facilities Building, which includes the Jim Pattison Surgery Centre and the Burnaby Community Emergency Centre, will feature:
- larger emergency department, reducing wait times and providing greater patient privacy
- additional operating rooms and procedure rooms, increasing the number of surgeries performed
- additional pre-operative and post-operative recovery spaces, enhancing patient privacy and creating efficiencies
- new medical device reprocessing unit with improved infection control
- new energy centre, replacing the aging power plant and creating more electrical capacity to support the hospital’s growth
Phase Two (2025-2030):
Phase 2 includes the demolition of the West Wing building, renovations to the existing Support Facilities building that includes expanding the emergency department to 104 treatment spaces, and renovations to the endoscopy suite in the existing Nursing Tower.
With the business plan approved, the procurement process will begin with construction planned to start in 2025 and completion anticipated in 2030. The cost of Phase 2 is approximately $1.7 billion with funding from the Province, the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and the BC Cancer Foundation.
The second phase will increase the hospital’s bed capacity and expand cancer services. It will include:
- new 160-bed patient care tower with general medicine, medical oncology, cardiac telemetry and critical care units
- new BC Cancer Centre
- new medical imaging department
- emergency department expansion
- endoscopy renovations
There will be space for two CT scanners, a spiritual care suite, public spaces and hospital support services will also be available.
Who was there:
Dix made today’s announcement in his home riding of Vancouver-Kingsway.
Also attending (and several of these folks speaking during the press conference): Raj Chouhan, MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds; Katrina Chen, MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed ; Dr. Victoria Lee, president and CEO, Fraser Health; David Byres, president and CEO, Provincial Health Services Authority; Heather Findlay, chief operating officer, BC Cancer; Mike Hurley, mayor, Burnaby; Kristy James, president and CEO, Burnaby Hospital Foundation; Sarah Roth, president and CEO, BC Cancer Foundation.
“I love Burnaby and it has been a place I call home for over 40 years,” said Anne Kang, MLA for Burnaby-Deer Lake (who attended and spoke at today’s announcement). “While Burnaby is one of the province’s fastest-growing communities, our hospital has not undergone an upgrade for over four decades. I am excited to learn that this project will build spacious, up-to-date, and safe healthcare facilities for the current and future populations in Burnaby,” said Kang.
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
The Island Social Trends socioeconomic news perspective is applied to: HEALTH & SAFETY | POLITICS | LIVING WITH CLIMATE CHANGE
Island Social Trends is a daily news portal at IslandSocialTrends.ca . Premium Subscribers are welcome, as a way to support independent news in Canadian society.
Mary P Brooke, B.Sc. is the editor and publisher of Island Social Trends.