New Emergency Department and Expanded Hilltop House
January 18, 2010
SQUAMISH Today’s opening of two newly renovated health care facilities in Squamish will provide Sea to Sky residents with timely, accessible care in their own community.
Work began on plans to renovate and expand Hilltop House residential care home and Squamish General Hospital’s Emergency Department four years ago. Both projects were officially opened today to serve residents and visitors to the Sea to Sky corridor.
Squamish residents of all ages will benefit with better access to quality care with the official opening today of the new emergency department and the completion of the renovation to Hilltop House, said West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA Joan McIntyre. The successful completion of both projects is a testimony to the working partnerships in the community, focused on improving health care in the Sea to Sky region.
Combined, the Hilltop House and Squamish General Hospital Emergency Department renovation projects represent a $22.56 million total investment in Sea to Sky health care. Hilltop House, a $19.47 million project, was jointly funded by a $13.47 million contribution from the Ministry of Health Services $6 million from the Sea to Sky Regional Hospital District.
“We are pleased to be one of the key funding partners that have helped to deliver these new and improved facilities for Squamish and the Sea to Sky Region said Susie Gimse, Chair, Sea to Sky Regional Hospital District. The Regional Hospital District is very supportive of these types of health care projects which deliver what our residents want and need.
The original Hilltop House was built in 1984. The facility did not have the bed capacity nor the specialized rooms required to support the varied spectrum of needs posed by patients who require 24-hour supervision and continuous professional care in a care facility.
The renovated Hilltop House will offer seniors throughout the Sea to Sky corridor immediate access to 73 residential care beds, up from the previous 61 beds. The renovated Hilltop House will also provide for improved quality of care by keeping residents close to home in Squamish rather than on the North Shore.
The Hilltop House expansion will improve the quality of life for these patients by providing them with the care they need, when and where they need it, said Mary Ackenhusen, Chief Operating Officer, VCH Coastal. This project, along with the ED expansion, marks VCH’s ongoing commitment to enhancing care and improving health services for those who live within the Sea to Sky corridor.
The $3.09 million Squamish General Hospital Emergency Department expansion was made possible through contributions from the Ministry of Health Services ($1.3 million), the Sea to Sky Regional Hospital District ($1.17 million) and the Squamish Hospital Foundation ($620,000).
The new emergency department contains 12 treatment beds as well as new waiting, triage and trauma rooms. The reconstructed Emergency Department also includes two ambulance bays that replace the single portico-style ambulance entrance.
Today is slightly bittersweet as the person whose name is most associated with this very hospital Dr. LaVerne Kindree — passed away in September, said George McKenzie, Chair, Squamish Hospital Foundation. Dr. Kindree would have been so proud today. In his honour, I will repeat what we at the foundation say often: The gift you give to your hospital is the gift you give to yourself. Thank you everyone who donated.
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.
Media Contact:
Vancouver Coastal Health
Trudi Beutel, Public Affairs Officer
Tel: 604-708-5282 Cell: 604-812-1847
Email: Trudi.Beutel@VCH.ca
http://www.vch.ca/about_us/news/media_contacts/news_releases/new_emergency_department_and_expanded_hilltop_house