RICHMOND, B.C. — British Columbia Premier John Horgan announced recently that a replacement for the aging Richmond Hospital tower will go ahead.
The province has approved the concept plan and will move on to the business planning stage. Vancouver Coastal Health and the B.C. Ministry of Health will work with the Richmond Hospital Foundation to confirm final funding contributions once a more detailed cost estimate is completed, with exact funding to be determined during the business planning stage, explains a release.
That stage is estimated to take 12 to 18 months.
Once the business plan is approved, the project will move to procurement and construction.
A structural assessment of the hospital’s original North Tower determined it is at high risk of structural failure or widespread damage after a seismic event such as an earthquake. Redevelopment is required, a government release said, to address the deficiencies of the building including outdated patient-care delivery areas.
Richmond has been waiting for good news about replacing the original tower, which has served the community since the 1960s but is now out of date.
“Richmond’s population is growing quickly and is also aging, and we are aware that people have been waiting for a long time for a new hospital tower,” said B.C. Minister of Health Adrian Dix in a statement.
“That’s why we’re proud to have taken decisive action very shortly after receiving the updated concept plan in early 2018. A new chapter for Richmond Hospital in now underway, as we proceed with preparing the business plan, which is one of the final steps before construction commences.”
Richmond Hospital opened in 1966 and has 231 beds. The North Tower holds 108 beds, is six storeys high and has surgical suites, in-patient units, a mammography clinic and cancer care as well as medical imaging, a pharmacy and administrative, academic and support services.
The project will be built to a LEED Gold standard, as are all new hospital facilities in British Columbia.
“Richmond is blessed to have an incredible team of doctors, nurses and staff with outstanding expertise, and it’s important that they have the right space, equipment and facilities to support that. We expect the new tower will not only increase the level of service we provide, but support new, robust models of care that reflect the diverse needs of the community,” Vancouver Coastal Health CEO Mary Ackenhusen added.
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