The redevelopment of Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake is tracking on the timeline that was committed.
Chair of the Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District, Bob Simpson says they met last week with the Minister of Health at UBCM in Whistler, and that they’ve also had some subsequent discussions with Interior Health.
“The project team is still fully engaged in designing the project,” Simpson said.
“There’s been some additional requests and a little bit of reorientation on what the delivery needs are so we’re looking at potentially more beds and they’re looking at how you integrate a helipad in there as well.”
The Board according to Simpson indicated Friday they would like at some time in November/December to have the team meet with the Board for an update.
“But as of today, it is tracking on the timeline that it was committed to,” he says.
“Because we’ve been waiting for this so long, I think that the project team and the Ministry are doing the right thing about making sure that the initial scoping of what the needs were haven’t changed substantially. So it does look like there’s some change in the delivery model just based on how the hospital is being used, where people are coming from, the elderly and aging population; all of those things need to be updated so that will then drive the design component of it.”
Interior Health says it’s Capital Planning department is spending time in Williams Lake working together with clinical user groups from Cariboo Memorial Hospital on plans to redevelop the facility.
“The clinical user-group meetings are part of a series that began earlier this summer and will continue into the fall,” Interior Health said in a background bulletin provided to the Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District.
“There have been two additional off-site meetings with three local First Nations, Cariboo Chilcotin Metis Association, and Cariboo Friendship Society.”
Interior Health adds that the business plan will be submitted to the Ministry of Health in April of 2019.