It’s a big day for BC Children’s Hospital as the province moves forward with a new acute care centre.
Today marks the end of the first phase of the redevelopment and the beginning of construction of the centre.
The Teck Acute Care Centre will have a new emergency room and new facilities for expectant mothers.
It will also feature new lodging for families, so that when their children are in hospital, they will have a place to stay, on-site.
The majority of children that visit the hospital come from outside the Lower Mainland so travel and hotel costs can put an extreme strain on families’ finances.
“Construction of the Teck Acute Care Centre is the culmination of years of support by countless volunteers and donors, who gave their time, energy and enthusiasm to make this new hospital a reality,” said Don Lindsay, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation’s campaign chair and president and CEO of Teck. “Teck and its employees are proud to support the creation of a facility that will provide first-class health care for children from communities across British Columbia and the Yukon.”
80,000 people have donated to the campaign to redevelop BC Children’s Hospital. The new facility will be eight stories and 640,000 square feet. It will feature extensive use of B.C. wood.
The total cost of the three-phase redevelopment project is estimated at $676 million. The provincial government has contributed $532 million and the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation is contributing $144 million toward Phase 2.
The new acute care facility will open in 2017.
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