Vancouver Coastal Health has signed agreements for six new and expanded residential care facilities, providing about 600 beds across the health authority, including 225 additional beds. The agreements are part of a $40 million, 10-year strategy that will see a significant number of the region’s residential care facilities rebuilt.
“This is great news as British Columbia’s population is aging and growing, so we need to be ready for the care shift that will take place,” said Health Minister Terry Lake. “This announcement also reflects government’s strategic direction of providing more home and community care.”
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.
“This is part of the biggest improvement of residential care facilities in VCH in the past 50 years,” says Mary Ackenhusen, President and CEO of VCH. “VCH is planning ahead to ensure we meet the complex care needs of our aging population and provide new and expanded care homes that will be designed to enhance the quality of life for residents.”
Negotiations are still underway for even more new or expanded facilities, and VCH expects to announce agreements for approximately 350 additional new beds for Vancouver later this year.
Signed agreements include the following new and expanded facilities (click on the photos below to view larger images):
- Point Grey Private Hospital – 58 beds (plus 26 private beds). Expansion of existing building. Completion scheduled for July 2018.
- Casa Mia Care Centre (the Care Group) – 58 beds (plus 29 private beds). An addition will be added to the iconic Casa Mia mansion. The 1930s Spanish revival mansion will be preserved, with an addition for residents connected to the main house. The project would require a rezoning by the City of Vancouver. Completion, subject to rezoning, is anticipated for late 2019.
- Hamilton Village Care Centre – 135 beds. New facility in East Richmond. Completion, subject to rezoning, is scheduled for early 2019.
- Fraserview – 75 beds. Replacement and expansion of existing building in South Richmond. Completion, subject to rezoning, is scheduled for early 2020.
- Creekstone Care Centre – 150 beds (plus 30 private beds). New facility on lower Mountain Highway. Completion, subject to rezoning, is scheduled for fall of 2018.
- Silverstone Care Centre – 125 (plus three private beds). New facility on Derby Road. Completion, subject to rezoning, is scheduled for the summer of 2018.
Hamilton Village, Creekstone and Silverstone will be built and operated by the Trellis Group.
The agreements were reached through a procurement process that began in the fall of 2014. As with all public procurement, this rigorous process was bound by strict confidentiality and conflict of interest procedures.
Residential care services include 24/7 nursing care and support to individuals who can no longer live safely at home with supports. Facilities are licensed and regularly inspected by Community Care Facilities Licensing, which posts all its reports on VCH’s website. Services are provided to eligible VCH residents through a mix of facilities that are directly owned and operated by VCH, affiliated with Providence Health Care or contracted through private or not-for-profit providers.