Royal Columbian Hospital’s (RCH) brand new helipad is up and running.
Crews with BC Air Ambulance completed the inaugural landing at the pad atop the New Westminster hospital late last month.
Getting the new landing pad up and running is a key step in the multi-phase, $1.35-billion redevelopment of B.C.’s oldest and busiest hospital.
The heliport was moved in order to accommodate cranes that will be used for further redevelopment of the facility.
“At the end of the day it’s all about patient care and making sure we are providing good patient care to people,” said Fraser Health spokesperson Dave LeFebvre.
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“This is a big step and a milestone in our progress in the redevelopment of Royal Columbian Hospital.”
The upgrades to the facility, which originally opened in 1862, were announced by the former BC Liberal government in 2015.
Phase one also includes the construction of a new 75-bed mental health facility, expected to be complete by winter 2019.
WATCH: Royal Columbian Hospital overcrowding (Mar. 2014)
Last April, the province also approved a business plan for phases two and three of the project, which will include a new acute-care tower, a larger emergency department and upgrades to existing spaces.
Once completed, the project is expected to increase RCH’s capacity by more than 50 per cent, while improving congestion and working conditions and modernizing equipment.
Construction on phase two is expected to begin in 2020, with the acute care tower slated to open in 2024.
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