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New Cowichan District Hospital reaches milestone

Press Release

May 23, 2024

NORTH COWICHAN – People in the Cowichan region are one step closer to a new hospital as the diagnostic and treatment centre on site reaches structural completion.

“Improved access to health care for people in the Cowichan region is on the horizon. This project reflects our government’s commitment to strengthening health services across the province and will provide people in Cowichan greater access to the care they need in a state-of-the-art hospital that will serve the region for generations to come,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “The vision for the new hospital is to create a welcoming place of healing and hope, with a focus on the highest quality care that is culturally safe and respectful.”

The centre will house outpatient and diagnostic-care services, including an emergency department, medical imaging, ambulatory care, a pharmacy and cafeteria and will be linked to an inpatient tower through a community hall.

“North Cowichan is a growing community, and it’s exciting to see that structural completion of this building is complete,” said Doug Routley, MLA for Nanaimo-North Cowichan. “I know everyone in the region is looking forward to the new Cowichan hospital when it’s ready for patients, and I’m grateful to all of the community partners for their hard work on this important project.”

Following structural completion of the centre, work will continue on its interior, while structural work continues on the seven-storey inpatient tower and service centre. Construction of the 204-bed hospital is on track for completion in 2026, and is expected to be ready for patients in 2027.

It will be the first fully electric hospital in B.C. It is being built to LEED Gold standards, featuring an 80% reduction in operational greenhouse gas emissions compared to the current hospital.

“It’s truly inspiring to see how far we’ve come, and how close we are, to completing Cowichan’s new hospital,” said Leah Hollins, board chair, Island Health. “In the three years leading up to opening day, we will continue to increase hospital capacity through Island Health’s Cowichan Health and Care Plan, allowing the dedicated teams at CDH to continue providing quality medical services to their patients. We look forward to providing care in a larger, more suitable facility with healing spaces and modern equipment.”

The hospital will be 56,448 square metres (607,601 square feet), more than three times larger than the current facility. The number of spaces in the emergency department will increase from 17 in the current hospital to 36. This includes two trauma bays, fast-track streaming, monitored care and a dedicated acute psychiatric zone.

There will be seven operating rooms, an increase of three, with one dedicated to C-sections, as well as increased CT scanning capacity and built-in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In addition, there are nine surgical procedure rooms, an increase of six rooms from the current hospital.

Culturally safe spaces will be part of the new hospital to accommodate traditional healing practices, cultural practices, traditional foods, a gathering space and an Indigenous health department. There will also be a room for family to stay overnight if they are visiting the emergency department and it becomes too late to get home to their community.

The hospital will continue to be a training site for medical students and residents in the University of British Columbia Island medical program and other allied health professionals. There will be a rooftop helipad. Parking will remain free, with double the number of parking spots over the current facility.

Total budget for the project is nearly $1.5 billion, provided by the Province through Island Health, Cowichan Valley Regional Hospital District and Cowichan District Hospital Foundation. The replacement project is being delivered by the Nuts’a’maat Alliance, a fully integrated team comprised of participants from Island Health, EllisDon, Parkin Architects, BC Infrastructure Benefits and Infrastructure BC.

Two backgrounders follow.

Contacts:Ministry of Health
Communications
250 952-1887 (media line)

Andrew Leyne
Communications
Island Health
Andrew.Leyne@islandhealth
250 370-8908

BACKGROUNDER 1

The new Cowichan District Hospital will include the following:

  • Mental-health services will be brought up to date with a 20-bed inpatient psychiatry unit with access to secure outdoor space and a four-bed psychiatric intensive care unit.
  • There will be a new birthing unit with a capacity for 10 obstetrics beds and a nursery for families and new moms as well as space for mothers to give birth and to stay in the same room with their infants until they are discharged.
  • A new special-care nursery will enable babies requiring additional care to remain at the hospital rather than having to go elsewhere for specialized care.
  • The pediatric unit will have eight beds, four of which can be used to provide care to pediatric mental-health and substance-use patients. This is double the pediatric beds in the current hospital and will help families avoid a drive to Nanaimo or Victoria when they need access to these important services for children and youth.
  • The new facility will continue to offer Hospital at Home as well, which started in Cowichan in April 2024, and will provide an innovative acute-care model.

Contacts:Ministry of Health
Communications
250 952-1887 (media line)

Andrew Leyne
Communications
Island Health
Andrew.Leyne@islandhealth
250 370-8908

BACKGROUNDER 2

Chief Cindy Daniels, Cowichan Tribes –

“I raise my hands to the crews that have gotten the Cowichan District Hospital Replacement Project to this construction milestone. Huy tseep q’u (thank you) for your hard yaays (work). The placement of this beam signed by the workers on the top floor is a wonderful way to commemorate each person’s contribution to this much-needed new health-care infrastructure.”

Aaron Stone, chair, Cowichan Valley Regional District –

“On behalf of all people of Cowichan and our board of directors, I am very excited for what this new facility will mean in advancing our shared goals in improving health services for our region. The increase in accessible and specialized care to be offered will significantly decrease the need to travel outside of Cowichan for critical health services. The inclusivity of Indigenous health practices and culturally sensitive supports is a major step towards advancing reconciliation with the many nations that will benefit from the new Cowichan district hospital. We are thankful for this critical investment in health care, excited for this key milestone and look forward to the opening with great anticipation.”

David Robertson, chair, Cowichan District Hospital Foundation –

“We are inspired by the amazing work being done to make Cowichan’s new hospital a reality. The foundation is proud to support this project, ensuring that patients and staff have access to the best possible medical equipment that will help facilitate the highest level of health services and care for our community. Congratulations to all involved in this monumental project!”

Shane Czypyha, principal, Parkin Architects –

“At Parkin, we are deeply committed to patient and people-focused design, a lesson reinforced by our work at the future Cowichan district hospital. Through humility, cultural sensitivity and inclusivity, we engaged staff, patients and local Indigenous communities, to build trust and meet diverse needs. By actively listening and collaborating, we believe that we’ve contributed to the creation of a healing environment that honours cultural traditions, fosters a sense of belonging and ultimately enhances care quality.”

Sean Dekoning, senior vice-president and area manager, EllisDon –

“We are tremendously proud of reaching this milestone, and our team’s contributions to the Cowichan District Hospital Replacement Project. This is a vital step toward building a hospital providing integrated health services with special considerations to the diverse health, community and cultural needs of the broader Cowichan region. As part of the alliance, we look forward to delivering a hospital that puts patients first.”

Jeff Good, vice-president, projects and corporate affairs, Infrastructure BC; and chair, Nuts’a’maat​ Alliance leadership team –

“Seeing the Cowichan District Hospital Replacement Project progress from procurement into construction is incredibly rewarding. Nuts’a’maat Alliance partners, which includes Infrastructure BC, continue to work effectively to deliver a world-class hospital that will serve the people of Cowichan Valley for decades.”

Irene Kerr, president and CEO, BC Infrastructure Benefits –

“The Province’s vision in creating a model for equitable hiring practices for under-represented and local workers is being realized through priority hiring on this project. The hospital is being built by Vancouver Island locals for their community. Workers receive Indigenous cultural competency training, and this is the province’s first construction project to provide an onsite Indigenous coach and cultural advisor to support both Indigenous and non-Indigenous workers.”

Contacts:Ministry of Health
Communications
250 952-1887 (media line)

Andrew Leyne
Communications
Island Health
Andrew.Leyne@islandhealth
250 370-8908

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