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July 29, 2009
PORT HARDY – Seniors and people with disabilities in Mt. Waddington who require around the clock health care now have a new place to call home with the official opening today of 11 new complex care beds at Port Hardy Hospital.
Representatives with the Vancouver Island Health Authority, Lark Group, District of Port Hardy and the Mt. Waddington Regional Hospital District gathered at the new care wing today to celebrate the grand opening with residents, their family members and with residential care staff. The occasion was marked with an official ribbon cutting ceremony.
“Access to care for seniors is a top priority for the Vancouver Island Health Authority,” said Jac Kreut, VIHA board chair. “Through a partnership with local government and the Province, seniors in Mt. Waddington can access the care they need close to home.”
Construction of the new $2.84 million facility began in April 2009 by Vancouver-based Lark Group and is now complete - two months ahead of schedule and on budget. VIHA is funding and operating the 11 new complex care beds. Residents will begin moving into their new home in September.
“This is an important day, and I am very pleased to be here to celebrate the opening of this new care wing,” said Al Huddlestan, Chair, Mt. Waddington Regional Hospital District. “The expansion of residential care beds at the Port Hardy Hospital will not only support our seniors population today, but for years to come. We are pleased to be a partner in this most welcome project.”
The new wing features 11 private rooms each with its own bathroom, a new tub room and a new dining room. There is also an activity room, a common area for residents and their families and an outdoor patio and garden area. A special feature of the new residential care wing is a First Nations Sacred Room. Aboriginal residents, their families and their elders can use the room as a place to gather and as a place to conduct spiritual and traditional ceremonies.
These 11 new residential care beds at Port Hardy Hospital are in addition to over 700 net new assisted living and residential care spaces built in communities across VIHA since March 2008.
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Contact:
VIHA Communications
250-370-8270 |
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