Vancouver Coastal Health has signed agreements for eight new and expanded long-term care facilities, providing 943 beds across the health authority, including 225 net additional beds. The agreements are part of a $40 million, 10-year strategy that will see a significant number of the region's long-term care facilities rebuilt.
VCH, like many health authorities, is planning ahead to meet the complex long-term care needs of people living in our region who can no longer live safely at home with support. The Long-Term Care Rejuvenation initiative is the biggest improvement of long-term care facilities in VCH in the past 50 years and is designed to enhance the quality of life for residents. All of the rooms will be private, with ensuite washrooms. This will give residents more privacy and ensure best practices for infection control. Spaces will be brighter and hallways wider to better accommodate wheelchairs. Special care units will provide the safety and security required for residents with advanced dementia and challenging behaviours.
A long-term goal of the project is to provide more flexibility in terms of placing residents closer to their home community, since beds will be better distributed based on community needs. The number of direct care hours that residents receive from staff will also be increased under the terms of these agreements.
Signed agreements include the following new and expanded facilities (click on the photos below to view larger images):