Renovations fully underway at Richmond Hospital

RICHMOND, B.C. – Major renovations to the Emergency Department at Richmond Hospital are in full swing, but there will be no changes to services or hours during construction.

During the renovations, staff and physicians will continue to offer full Emergency Department services seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The renovations are scheduled to be completed by spring 2011.

The upgrades will improve patient flow, providing faster access to care for the 44,000 people who visit the Richmond Hospital Emergency Department each year.

“Visitors will notice some changes when they enter the department, but we’ve worked hard to minimize disruptions for staff and patients as much as we can given the size and scope of these renovations,” said Susan Wannamaker, Chief Operating Officer, VCH-Richmond. “We’ve not lost any acute-care capacity as a result of the ongoing construction, but we apologize in advance for any noise or other inconvenience that may be unavoidable.”

The Emergency Department renovation is part of a $10-million Government of British Columbia funding package that also includes renovations to the ambulatory surgical services and sterile processing departments. Funding for these projects was announced last spring.

The renovations will result in an ED that is a full 2,000 square feet larger than the current space. The additional space will allow for a larger triage assessment area, increased patient care space, increased isolation and resuscitation capacity and a new urgent care area.

Other areas of the hospital being expanded as part of this renovation project include ambulatory surgical services and the sterile processing department. Work in these two areas has begun and is scheduled to finish this summer.

VCH 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.

CONTACT:

Vancouver Coastal Health
Trudi Beutel, Public Affairs Officer
Phone: 604-708-5282  Cell: 604-812-1847
Email: Trudi.Beutel@VCH.ca