B.C. says $16 million ER expansion set to begin at Abbotsford hospital
Credit to Author: Tiffany Crawford| Date: Fri, 13 Sep 2019 17:04:10 +0000
The B.C. government has announced construction will begin this fall on a $16.2 million emergency room expansion at the Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre in Abbotsford.
B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix made the announcement Friday at the hospital.
“People in Abbotsford have been managing with an emergency department that is over capacity and continually congested,” said Dix.
“The new area will help alleviate the overcrowding that has been happening at the hospital from the day it opened in 2008. The expanded emergency department will provide patients with timely emergency care in a modern space with state-of-the-art technology, and health-care workers will finally get the space they need to help patients.”
He says the 825-square-metre expansion will provide new trauma bays, 12 new patient exam rooms, dedicated stretcher bays, and relocation of the ambulance bays to be next to the ER.
The hospital has been plagued with dangerous overcrowding, prompting some families to question whether the deaths of their loved ones could have been prevented, according to a Postmedia report.
Total cost of the project is $16.25 million, with $15 million funded by the provincial government, and $1.25 million by the Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation.
Kinetic Construction Ltd. was selected as the builder for the project. The company will start construction in fall 2019 with a projected completion date of summer 2021.
During the renovations, the government says the emergency department will remain open.