Island Health is taking steps to line up design consultants in the hope that two proposed long-term care facilities are approved for Vancouver Island.
No locations have been revealed but both the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District and the Comox Strathcona Regional Hospital District have stated they are in favour of cost-sharing to see such long-desired projects get built. The Comox district favours a facility in Campbell River.
Island Health issued a notice to vendors on July 4 for design consultants for two potential long-term care centres. Interested parties have until July 25 to respond and submit a non-disclosure agreement.
The health authority noted that one of three potential long-term care projects has already been approved.
Plans for a three-storey, 306-bed facility of 355,209 square feet (33,000 square metres) costing about $224-million in Colwood was announced in March.
The province is putting up $157 million and the Capital Regional Hospital District is contributing $69 million.
That facility is expected to open in 2027.
It will be built on Metchosin Road in Colwood’s Royal Bay area next to the upcoming Royal B.C. Museum collections and archives building.
The facility will have four, three-storey buildings set out in a village pattern. A hair salon, bistro, coffee shop and child care are included, as is a hospice, a unit for young people with brain injuries and an adult day care program.
Two more long-term care projects have been proposed by Island Health but not yet approved, its notice said.
One is anticipated to be similar in size to the Colwood project while the second would be about half the size but of similar complexity, it said. Along with our partners, such as regional hospital districts, we are working on several proposed projects and we hope to have more details to share in the near future.”
A new long-term care facility is among five key projects the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District is focusing on to serve a growing and aging population.
“With Nanaimo identified as one of the fastest growing cities in the country, the strain on our health-care system will only continue to increase,” the district’s website states. “Health care in our region is under-resourced and impacts us all. “
The Comox Strathcona hospital district said it wants a new long-term care facility in Campbell River. In May 2022, the district approved cost sharing with Island Health.
“There is a significant need for investing in long-term care spaces in our community,” said Charlie Cornfield, who was board chair at the time.
Vancouver Island has “the highest proportion of people assessed for long-term care and waiting for a placement, [and] experiences some of the longest wait times for a local placement,” he said.
>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: [email protected]
