Construction is officially underway for a new ambulatory care clinic and expanded pharmacy at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH).
The pharmacy will be tripled in size, improving patient privacy with new consultation rooms. The ambulatory care unit will be expanded to create improved outpatient exam rooms and telehealth services. Ambulatory care includes outpatient procedures such as endoscopies, cystoscopies and other minor procedures.
Renovations will also be made to KBRH’s physiotherapy and health information management departments.
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“This redevelopment has been a high priority for our board since it began, and we are thrilled to see work underway on the next phase,” said Suzan Hewat, board chair for the West Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital District. “These enhancements go a long way in modernizing Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital, which will benefit patients across the region.”
The project will create 156 direct jobs and 58 indirect jobs. Construction is expected to wrap up in 2023.
The total cost of the KBRH pharmacy and ambulatory care project is $38.8 million, with the province contributing $23.3 million and taxpayers in the hospital district contributing $15.5 million.
“These hospital improvements are a top priority for our government, and it’s great that construction is underway on this next step,” Minister Katrine Conroy, Kootenay West MLA, said Friday. “Overall, these changes will enhance patient care and improve conditions for health-care workers.”
KBRH emergency department redevelopment began in fall 2018 and includes a two-storey addition to the existing building; updated and expanded trauma bays, exam and procedure rooms, and an airborne isolation and secure room, all of which opened in September 2020.
The hospital first opened in 1954 and offers a variety of health-care services, including 24-hour emergency and trauma services, a level two laboratory, acute and obstetrical care, psychiatry and oncology.
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