PORT MOODY, B.C. — Patients in Metro Vancouver can now enjoy upgraded emergency infrastructure at Eagle Ridge hospital.
The province announced construction is complete on the expanded emergency department at the hospital which serves Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, Anmore and Belcarra.
The work is just phase one of a larger $37.5-million effort to expand emergency department capacity.
“When Eagle Ridge Hospital opened in 1984, the hospital’s emergency department had about 20,000 patients seeking emergency care every year. That number has more than doubled to 50,000 patients per year,” said Adrian Dix, minister of health, in a statement. “As the Tri-Cities continue to grow, a larger emergency department is needed to keep pace with the increasing demand for emergency services in the region. Our government recognized this and moved quickly so people can get the care they need when they need it.”
The first phase includes new separate entrances for walk-in patients and ambulances, a redesigned registration and triage area to improve privacy and flow of patients, and a designated separate area for patients with mental-health and substance-use support needs.
“I’m proud of our government for investing in the expansion of the emergency department at Eagle Ridge Hospital,” said Rick Glumac, MLA for Port Moody-Coquitlam. “People in the Tri-Cities depend on receiving quality care when they visit the hospital for emergency services. It’s great to hear that it’s ready to receive patients and provide them with first-class care.”
The project includes work from Phase 2 that began in August 2021. Further Phase 2 renovations for future rehabilitation space are expected to begin in October with completion in March 2022.
Once finished, the expanded emergency department will have 39 new treatment spaces, up from 19. It will include four new isolation rooms for people with infectious illnesses and two new trauma resuscitation bays. Walk-in patients and ambulances will have separate entrances, a decontamination area will help with chemical contamination and additional handwashing stations will help reduce the risk of infection.
The new space is approximately three times larger, increasing from 714 square metres to 2,206 square metres.
To facilitate the expansion, health records were transferred to the basement of the hospital, and diagnostic cardiology services have expanded into some of the existing health records area. Community outpatient services have been relocated to another part of the hospital and rehabilitation services have moved to the existing community outpatient services area.
The provincial government, through Fraser Health, is providing $32.5 million for the project. Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation raised $5 million.
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