The Cariboo Memorial Hospital redevelopment business plan should be finalized before the end of 2018 and be ready to submit to the Ministry of Health by Spring 2019.
Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District chair Bob Simpson said the board discussed an update report from Interior Health at the Friday, Sept. 21 board meeting in Williams Lake.
“We just have some questions about the service delivery model because the original scoping of it was done about a decade or more ago,” Simpson said. “We want to make sure it is the right model before they start finalizing the concept design. We are hoping to have the project team come and meet with us when they are ready and give the board a direct upgrade.”
Read more: New hospital a go for Williams Lake, says B.C. Health Minister
Mayor Walt Cobb said the City keeps making sure a helipad is incorporated in the design.
“We met with the health minister in Victoria and talked about it,” Cobb said. “We had a conference call the other day again, and were assurred it is being discussed again.”
Right now the medevac lands at the Williams Lake Airport and an ambulance has to go up there, he added.
“I know during the wildfires they landed in the school field at Williams Lake Secondary. For the helipad, they are looking at three options. One of them is a roof top and apparently that’s the most expensive, but looking a the land and the houses around the hospital, at the end of the day it might be the best way to go because it would be up higher.”
When city council met at the Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention with the minister of health, one of the air ambulance representatives in the meeting asked if they could have input before the final decision is made as to the location of the helipad, Cobb said.
In Quesnel, the G.R. Baker Memorial Hospital is also slated for an addition.
“During our meetings down at the Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention, we were told it is also proceeding on schedule. The dialogue with Lhtako Dene Nation is going well — that’s the issue of the proposed area is most likely going to encounter graves, a potential mass grave, we don’t know so all the archealogical work has to be done.”
There is also geotechnical sensitivity areas along the river bank to take into consideration.
“It’s a big of a challenge, but Northern Health informed me that they are starting to lock that down and the project team for that is starting to work on the design.”
Read more: G.R. Baker Memorial Hospital gets new welcoming sign to honour its place on Lhtako Dhene territory
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