New hospital wing opens
Doing the honours at the ribbon cutting for the new 11-bed complex care wing at Port Hardy Hospital were Jeannie Wheeler, elder Wata Joseph and elder Sally Williams. Witnessing the event row were: VIHA president Harold Waldner, VIHA chair Jack Kreut, Port Hardy Mayor Bev Parnham, regional hospital board chair Al Huddlestan, Lark Group rep Simon Fowler and Alison Mitchell, manager of residential services at Port Hardy Hospital.
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Updated: July 30, 2009 12:02 PM
PORT HARDY - North Island seniors and people with disabilities who require around the clock health care have a new place to call home after 11 new complex care beds opened on July 29 at Port Hardy Hospital.
The grand opening was celebrated by a ribbon-cutting ceremony that included residents and their family members, residential care staff, North Island politicians, representatives from Vancouver Island Health Authority and the Lark Group builders.
"Access to care for seniors is a top priority for the Vancouver Island Health Authority," said Jac Kreut, VIHA board chair. "Through a partnership with local government and the province, seniors in Mt. Waddington can access the care they need close to home."
Construction of the new $2.84 million facility, began in April 2009 by Vancouver-based Lark Group, is now complete - two months ahead of schedule and on budget. VIHA is operating the 11 new complex care beds and residents will begin moving into their new home in September.
"This is an important day, and I am very pleased to be here to celebrate the opening of this new care wing," said Al Huddlestan of the Mt. Waddington Regional Hospital District, which funded 40 per cent of construction costs. "The expansion of residential care beds at the Port Hardy Hospital will not only support our seniors population today, but for years to come. We are pleased to be a partner in this most welcome project."
The new wing features 11 private rooms each with its own bathroom, a new tub room and a new dining room. There is also an activity room, a common area for residents and their families and an outdoor patio and garden area. A special feature of the new residential care wing is a First Nations Sacred Room. Aboriginal residents, their families and their elders can use the room as a place to gather and as a place to conduct spiritual and traditional ceremonies.
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