WHEREAS aging infrastructure at health care facilities in the Northern Health area is an ongoing concern for recruitment and retention of medical professionals, access and quality of care, and economic development investment; AND WHEREAS construction costs are rising at rates which make capital investment more costly on an annual basis; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government allocate additional capital funds to BC health authorities in order to expedite replacement of aging infrastructure at health facilities around the province.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH Health authorities are responsible for managing heath care infrastructure within available funding from the Province of British Columbia Province, Regional Hospital Districts RHD and foundations. Since 200102, the Province has contributed over 2.7 billion to health authorities for developing and maintaining capital infrastructure and will contribute 1.4 billion to health authorities over 200708 200910 in support of approximately 2.1 billion in planned infrastructure spending by the sector. From 2001 to the end of the last fiscal year, almost 230 million was spent on capital projects in Northern Health and almost 400 million was spent on capital projects in Interior Health. Several new major capital initiatives were recently approved by government: -A new Ambulatory Care Centre and expansion of the Emergency Department at Kelowna General Hospital; -A new Diagnostic and Treatment Building at Vernon Jubilee Hospital; and, -Establishment of a cancer centre in Prince George. Some recent health sector capital investments funded by the province include: -20 million on the Dunrovin Park Lodge Expansion in Quesnel; -13.9 million for the Maternal Child Centre of Excellence at Prince George Regional Hospital; -10 million for a new Masset Health Centre; -3.5 million for a new ER and ICU at Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace; -32.6 million for residential care and assisted living facilities in Dawson Creek -32 million for an expanded East Kootenay Regional Hospital in Cranbrook; -20 million for a redeveloped Shuswap Lake Regional Hospital in Salmon Arm; -13 million redeveloped and expanded Boundary Hospital in Grand Forks; -8 million for the new Lytton Health Centre; -1.6 million improvement to operating rooms in Nelsons Kootenay Lake Hospital -6.2 million for a residential care facility in Revelstoke