A $5 million renovation announced Friday will improve emergency room access to St. John Hospital in Vanderhoof.
The project, to be completed in 2014, will build a separate waiting room for families of patents in emergency care and will result in the emergency department becoming the primary after-hours entrance to the hospital. Work will begin next spring.
Cost of the project, which will also provide a separate and secure access area for ambulance paramedics, will be shared by the province, Stuart Nechako Regional Hospital District, and the Northern Health Authority.
"Having an updated emergency department after so many years will facilitate improved service delivery to the public by becoming more functional, better organized, and offering more privacy. I look forward to working in the new space," said Vanderhoof doctor Davy Dhillion.
The same renovation will relocate the hospital main entrance, update the reception and admitting counter, and modernize ventilation and cooling systems in the laboratory and emergency department.
"The planned renovations are much needed for the busy St. John Hospital," said Ralph Roy, chair of the Stuart Nechako Regional Hospital District. "The Stuart Nechako Regional Hospital District is committed to funding these renovations that will create a better environment for patients, staff and physicians at the St. John Hospital."
Built in 1974, St. John Hospital is located at the north end of Vanderhoof. Equipped with 24 acute-care beds, it serves a population of 5,000 in the region, providing emergency treatment, labour and delivery, x-ray and ultrasound, minor orthopedic and general surgeries, in-patient recreation and physiotherapy services.
