An Acute Care Tower could be on its way to the University Hospital of Northern BC.
The Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation launched the It’s About Time six year campaign to raise money for cardiac care enhancements, with the tower funded by the province and the Fraser Fort George Regional Hospital District.
CEO Aimee Cassie said patients in the north were being sent down to the Lower Mainland for care, which is what they’re now trying to end.
“It’s all about keeping patients in northern British Columbia, it’s about closing that cardiac gap that we see that has been such a gap in care for so many years.”
“Like the campaign says, the way we see it, it’s about time. It’s about time the north gets this level of cardiac care that we deserve.”
Currently, loaner equipment is on site to keep patients in the north, which Cassie said the community will start to see the benefits of equipment and staff leading to the tower completion.
The tower will also include a future Regional Cardiac Care Centre designed to serve patients across the north.
She said last year alone, northern patients waited a collective 10 years in beds in the hospital, as well as outpatients, to get to the Lower Mainland for interventional care.
Throughout the six year campaign, Cassie said they hope to raise $55 million and bring 90 per cent of cardiac care to the north.
More information about the campaign can be found here.
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