Ground Broken on Major St. Mary’s Hospital Expansion

SECHELT – Ground was officially broken on the $44.15-million St. Mary’s Hospital expansion today, a project that will add more inpatient beds and set a new standard for patient care, infection control and green building design for residents and patients on the Sunshine Coast.

“The expansion of St. Mary’s will increase the size of the hospital by over 50 per cent and add more acute care beds and a new, expanded emergency department,” said Health Services Minister Kevin Falcon. “In addition, each patient room will be single occupancy, which will give patients privacy and make a big difference in reducing the spread of infections.”

The total project cost is estimated at $44.15 million. The Ministry of Health Services will provide $26.25 million, while the Sunshine Coast Regional Hospital District will provide $15.9 million. In addition, the St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation and St. Mary’s Hospital Auxiliary will contribute $2 million toward the purchase of new equipment.

The provincial contribution includes $2.4 million from the Province’s Public Sector Energy Conservation Agreement (PSECA) fund, to enable the building-expansion component of the project to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification.

“Funding of the St. Mary’s project posed a daunting challenge for the Sunshine Coast Regional Hospital District in these interesting economic times,” said Barry Janyk, chair, Sunshine Coast Regional Hospital District and mayor of the Town of Gibsons. “Our new hospital has been years in the planning stages, so it is especially rewarding for me today to break ground on a project that is so critically needed in our dynamic community.”

The St. Mary’s Hospital expansion and renovation project will be tackled in two phases. Completion of the expansion phase is estimated for spring 2012, with full renovations to the existing site to be finished by December 2012. When complete, the new St. Mary’s will offer new single patient rooms, more acute care beds (from 41 to 63), a renovated ambulatory care, new radiology areas, and a new emergency department. It also incorporates three innovative features in state-of-the-art patient care and design.

The renovated St. Mary’s will feature:

• 100 per cent single patient rooms.
• Single patient rooms have been shown to significantly reduce hospital-acquired infections, reduce the risk of communicable disease and contribute to a less stressful and disruptive environment for patients.
• Interiors designed using LEAN space-planning principles. Completion of a LEAN flow review prior to construction will ensure that staff members will be able to spend more time with patients through efficient department and room design.
• Designation to LEED Gold standards. This will be the first VCH facility built to LEED Gold standards. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally recognized standard which supports and certifies green building design, construction and operations.

“The new St. Mary’s will reflect current trends in hospital design and infection control practices,” said Mary Ackenhusen, the former chief operating officer, VCH – Coastal, who oversaw much of the project’s design. “Because of these innovations, it has taken VCH longer to plan for the St. Mary’s project, and we thank the community for its patience. We’re certain, though, that the community will be pleased with the end result – a new hospital that allows for the delivery of the highest quality, safe patient care.”

St. Mary’s is a community hospital located on the Sunshine Coast that serves the communities of Sechelt, Langdale, Gibsons, Roberts Creek, Halfmoon Bay and Pender Harbour. It provides medical, surgical, obstetrics, extended care, diagnostic and emergency services to a population of 29,500.

Vancouver Coastal Health is responsible for the delivery of $2.9 billion in community, hospital and residential care to more than one million people in communities including Richmond, Vancouver, the North Shore, Sunshine Coast, Sea to Sky corridor, Powell River, Bella Bella and Bella Coola. British Columbia’s health system will benefit from investments, such as the St. Mary’s Hospital expansion and renovation, over the next three years as part of the $2.6-billion health sector capital plan.

Media contacts

Ministry of Health Services
Bernadette Murphy, Media Relations Manager
Tel: 250.952.1887 (media line)

Vancouver Coastal Health
Trudi Beutel, Public Affairs Officer
Tel: 604.708.5282
Cell: 604.812.1847
Email: Trudi.Beutel@VCH.ca