Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is in the early stages of planning to expand St. Mary's Hospital in 2007 as part of its 10 to 15 year growth plan. The plan includes expanding the building, buying new equipment and increasing staff and physicians, according to a consultant's report presented to the Sunshine Coast Regional Hospital District Sept. 22. "We're still at the planning stage," VCH spokesperson Viviana Zanocco said in an interview. "We want to make sure we get it right."
The plan's increased services account for the aging and growing population on the Coast. Zanocco noted a "telling" figure from the report shows 46 per cent of inpatient and day surgery patients are over the age of 65, so the planning is looking at what kinds of treatment seniors need. But it also considers the population is growing in every age bracket, she added.
As well, it aims to increase services on the Coast to reduce patient travel to Vancouver and the North Shore. Fifty-eight per cent of the Coast's cases are performed at St. Mary's, while 12 per cent are at Lion's Gate, nine per cent at Vancouver General and eight per cent at St. Paul's, according to the Gillies Consulting report.
"What we hope to do is have more day surgery and other procedures available so families can rest assured their loved ones are down the road as opposed to across the water," Zanocco said.
The proposed stage one expansion, estimated at $24 million, would improve radiology services by having CT scans at St. Mary's. The plan also includes hiring a second general surgeon. The number of beds would go up from the current 40.5 to 47.2 in 2009/2010, according to the consultant's report. As well, the hospital would see expanded inpatient and day surgery care and improved ambulatory care in the first phase of expansion. The second phase, which would bring the total bill to $55 million, is still uncertain as it would happen 10 years down the road, Zanocco said.
VCH's next step is to meet with stakeholders in the provincial and local governments and school board for input. Once a plan is in place, a business case would go before the VCH board and the Ministry of Health. Next would come the detailed planning stage before going to tender in May 2007, with the construction estimated to begin in July 2007 and continue until December 2008. VCH would partly fund the project through the ministry. It would begin seeking funding from the regional hospital district in 2007, said John France, SCRD manager of corporate services. In the past, the district has contributed 40 per cent to VCH projects.
SCRD director John Marian noted in previous years an expansion hasn't happened as proposed."We really need this to happen," Marian said.
Director Adrian Belshaw suggested the decision whether to contribute money should go through a public process, like a questionnaire or referendum. He said there are other ways to spend money to protect the public's health besides building a hospital.
But Marian said this kind of public spending is fundamental, not discretionary. Director Celia Fisher said if the community voted against the project, staff and patients would suffer.
