With the new $19M emergency wing at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH) humming along since opening its doors in late August, on Tuesday (Dec. 22), Interior Health announced that Ledcor Construction Ltd. will continue to oversee the next phase of the build.
Video: Doors open to $19M emergency department at hospital in Trail
Ledcor has been onsite as the lead contractor since ground first broke on the job, located in the upper bench of East Trail, in October 2018.
The first floor emergency department is now operational, so the ongoing work will involve the second story of the new wing which will house a modern pharmacy unit and a same-day minor surgery area known as ambulatory care.
The overall budget for the Pharmacy and Ambulatory Care Project is $38.8 million with $23.3 million funded by the Ministry of Health and $15.5 million by taxpayers living in the West Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital District.
“The redevelopment of Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail is a top priority for our board as it serves as a regional hospital. Having a new ambulatory care unit will provide patients with a modern setting and bigger spaces, allowing for family members to accompany them,” Suzan Hewat, hospital district chair, said in a Dec. 22 news release.
“A new pharmacy will enhance working conditions and continue to bring KBRH up to a modern standard of care.”
The project will triple the size of the pharmacy and improve patient privacy with new patient education rooms for private consultations, and the ambulatory care unit will be expanded to create improved outpatient exam rooms, booking offices and telehealth services.
As part of this project the medical records office will be moved to another location in the hospital to allow for an expanded oncology unit, a cast clinic and an updated physiotherapy department.
View of the second floor of KBRH now under construction, fall 2020. Photo: Sheri Regnier
“These enhancements to the ambulatory care unit and the pharmacy show our commitment to the people of the entire region. As a regional hospital, Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital is important to all the residents of the area and we are excited to see this new project moving forward,” said Katrine Conroy, MLA for Kootenay West.
Construction on the project is underway with completion expected in 2023.
“Redeveloping the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail is vitally important for people who live throughout the entire Kootenay Boundary region,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health.
“Awarding this contract is an important step forward as we continue enhancing and modernizing this hospital for everyone who relies on it for care.”
KBRH offers specialized services, core medical services and advanced medical imaging services to 80,000+ residents in the region. The hospital’s emergency department sees over 16,000 patients each year.
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