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November 2023 - Quarterly Update
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Where we’re at
As you’ve no doubt seen, this summer has been a flurry of construction activity on the new Stuart Lake Hospital. We’ve seen walls go up, roads paved, and a building come to life. The new hospital is now fully enclosed, and the work has shifted to items such as interior wall steel studs, backing and boarding, electrical, IT infrastructure, fire protection, and more.
While there is still a good deal of work to go before the building is ready for patients, it’s easy to see what an improvement the new facility is going to be for residents, staff, and medical staff.
Outside of the building, the Stuart Lake Hospital project team has been working with Graham Construction on the 100% Design Submittal to address concerns and ensure that any deficiencies and issues can be resolved before we open the building.
Project schedule
Despite how good the building is looking already, there is still a great deal of work to happen before we’re ready to bring patients into the building. However, the SLH project is still on track to open for patients late 2024 with the project being completed in 2025.
With the design work nearly wrapped up, much of the project team focus has shifted to transition planning, which is a complicated process that will take nearly a year to figure out. This work ahead of time will ensure that we’re able to hit the ground running in the new facility once we open the doors.
Once we open the doors on the new facility, the next steps will be the demolition of the old hospital, and the creation of new parking and culturally significant gardens and landscaping in its stead. If all goes according to plans, that work will be complete in 2025 and the new Stuart Lake Hospital will be ready to serve the community for years to come.
Site tour
In August, we were privileged to be able to offer a site tour to staff and medical staff of the new Stuart Lake Hospital. Graham Construction took everyone on a detailed walkthrough of the new building to show them where the new features would be located.
Despite the unfinished state of the inside, all those on the tour were in awe of the size of the new Stuart Lake Hospital compared to the current site. We look forward to hosting more of these tours in the future and sharing regular progress photos of the work happening on site.
Next steps and upcoming milestones
Engagement
Although the design portion of the hospital is nearly complete, that doesn’t mean that we won’t be engaging with staff and the public any further. Staff and community have an important role to play in the work still to come. Transition planning is a vital component of the project, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts on what that should look like.
We will contiue to engage throughout the lifetime of the project through Let’s Talk, our established working groups, as well as other virtual and in-person events.
Dakelh language working group
In addition to the work going on inside, we are also actively working on ways to make sure that the facility is culturally safe and welcome. One way, among many, that we’re doing that is by creating a Dakelh language working group comprised of Elders and language experts from the surrounding Indigenous communities.
In the spirit of reconciliation and cultural safety, and to reflect the territory on which the hospital is located, a number of patient and staff signs throughout the facility will have Dakelh translations. We look forward to sharing these with you in the future.
For more information
Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement Project Let’s Talk
Let’s Talk is our one-stop shop for everything related to the Stuart Lake Hospital project. Not only does this site have regular project updates, but it is also a place where you can provide feedback and thoughts on the project. We are always looking to connect and to hear from you! Please stay in touch and keep your questions coming.
Stuart Lake Hospital Let’s Talk
Employment opportunities at Stuart Lake Hospital
A new hospital with more beds, expanded lab and diagnostic imaging, and a Primary Care Clinic, means a great number of positions to fill. A variety of positions will be available both in the hospital as well as the Primary Care Clinic which will be housed in the new hospital such as:
- Licensed Practical Nurse
- Registered Nurse
- Housekeeper
- Cook
- Food Service Worker
- Facility Maintenance
- Imaging Technician
- Medical Lab Technologist
- Care Aid
- Laboratory Clerk
- Primary Care Assistant
- Social Worker
- Occupational Therapist
- Medical Office Assistant
- Community Health Worker
- Physicians
- Nurse Practitioner
- Rehab Assistant
- And many more!
To start your education journey to a job in health care, connect with employment contacts at Northern Health Recruitment (nhjobs@northernhealth.ca) or Megan Hunter, Health Services Administrator – Omineca (megan.hunter@northernhealth.ca).
Employment opportunities and additional recruitment contacts
Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement Project construction camera
We’ve installed a construction camera that you can access to see what’s going on at the site! Follow along to see the progress and watch the new hospital take shape.
Click on the link on the Let’s Talk Page (or here: Stuart Lake Hospital Construction Camera) for a bird’s eye view of construction anytime you like.
Contact us directly
For questions, feedback, or to get added to the distribution list for these updates, feel free to reach out directly to us through Mark Hendricks, Communications Lead, Capital Projects, at:
Mark.Hendricks@northernhealth.ca or at LetsTalkSLH@northernhealth.ca
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FAQ: What about labour and delivery at the new hospital?
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Good question. Labour and delivery are major life events, and for many individuals and families this is a time of pregnancy with lots of uncertainty. Gathering tiny shirts and socks, finding a car seat or someone to watch the other kids are are some of the necessary preparations for a new baby, and for many families in Northern BC, travel is a factor that must be taken into account as well. This will continue to be the case for families and individuals in the Stuart Lake area.For folks in Fort St. James and the surrounding communities, deciding to have a baby in the Stuart Lake Hospital wasn't an option since the hospital couldn't accommodate labour and delivery complications. Although a labour and delivery room will be part of the new hospital, these are to accommodate emergency and unexpected deliveries, where transportation to Vanderhoof or Prince George is not possible.
For those of us living in this area, Vanderhoof's St. John's Hospital and UHNBC's Maternity Care Unit will continue to be where we labour and deliver. While traveling from home to give birth is not ideal for some, knowing the diversion hospitals are there and ready for you is some comfort.
Thank you for your questions, and please keep them coming. We want to hear from you.
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February 2023 Quarterly Update
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Despite the ups and downs in temperature, through snow and wind, and on the occasional welcome sunny day, construction continues to advance at the site of the new Stuart Lake Hospital. Staff, patients, and visitors to the hospital have seen great change from the windows, as we’ve gone from a spruce forest to a forest of rebar and concrete. From a hole in the ground back in the fall to foundations, walls and miles of orange tarp, the replacement hospital is becoming a reality.
Weather hoarding and tarping of work surfaces for concrete pours continues, and waterproofing and damp proofing work is ongoing. Suspended slab pours began in November and continue when the weather permits. Despite a closure from December 24 to January 4, progress is right on track with below grade utilities and site services infrastructure. Structural Steel fabrication is underway and we happily anticipate site work starting mid-February.
Project schedule
Like all project schedules, timelines can be impacted by any number of factors and thus are subject to change. That said, the SLH replacement project is on time in terms of overall construction and design.
The 100% Design Submittal has been under review by Northern Health since its submittal in November 2022. Graham recently delivered a supplement 100% Design Submittal which has been reviewed by NH and sent back with comments.
If all goes as planned, the current schedule sees the building substantially watertight by this fall. This means we’ll be on schedule for the opening and operation of the new hospital in 2024. This will be followed by the demolition of the old hospital, and the creation of new parking and culturally significant gardens and landscaping in its stead, and project completion in 2025!
Next steps and upcoming milestones
Engagement
New renderings from the 100% Design Submittal are expected in the next few weeks so we can better picture the hospital as it will appear in real life. Renderings are subject to change, but as engagement ramps up in the new year, opportunities will arise for the public to take a peek at the prospective hospital design. It will also allow us to hear what you say, gather feedback, and deliver it back to the project team.
We are very excited for 2023’s community engagement opportunities. Some of these will include:
- Public displays at multiple locations in Fort St. James where people can view the renderings and plans for the new hospital
- A joint event at Fort St. James Senior Secondary School with NH Recruitment to introduce students to employment pathways in health and the many opportunities that will exist in the new hospital
- Open houses for health care workers and the public (dates and venues yet to be determined) in Nak’azdli and Fort St. James. These will be a highlight of our engagement year and a chance to connect in person
- Health and education fairs, community or employment event? We are available! And we’ll travel. Get in touch if you’d like us to present to your organization or be present at your event.
For more information
Employment Opportunities at SLH
A new hospital with more beds, expanded lab and diagnostic imaging, and a Primary Care Clinic means a great number of positions to fill. Jobs in housekeeping, food services and maintenance will be available, as well as technician positions, nurses and care aids, to mention only a few.
With construction underway, we are thinking about how to staff the new facility to ensure that health needs of the community are met. We are also thinking about the benefits of staffing the hospital from the community – some people are credentialed and ready to go into the positions available, and some are looking to start down the path to employment, and a new hospital is a great opportunity for all.
To start your education journey to a job in health care, connect with employment contacts at Northern Health Recruitment or contact the Stuart Lake Hospital Site Manager. Go to Let’s talk to discover what jobs are available and how to access the education and support to get you there.
Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement Project Let’s Talk
Let’s Talk is our one-stop shop for everything related to the Stuart Lake Hospital project. Not only does this site have regular project updates, but it is also a place where you can provide feedback and thoughts on the project. We are always looking to connect and to hear from you! Please stay in touch and keep your questions coming.
Stuart Lake Hospital Let’s Talk
Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement Project construction camera
We’ve installed a construction camera that you can access to see what’s going on at the site! Follow along to see the progress and watch the new hospital take shape.
Click on the link on the Let’s Talk Page (or here: Stuart Lake Hospital Construction Camera) for a bird’s eye view of construction anytime you like.
Contact us directly
For questions, feedback, or to get added to the distribution list for these updates, feel free to reach out directly to us at:
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FAQ: What about parking?
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Parking at the Stuart Lake Hospital has always been a bit of a challenge. In a small lot, where the parking lines are obscured for up to eight months of the year, it can be tricky to decide where to safely stow your truck or car.You'll be happy to hear that once the new hospital is built, parking is and will remain free at Stuart Lake Hospital, and given the lot is gaining size and stalls, it's definitely going to be easier to park for the duration of your visit to the facility.
85 new parking stalls will be provided, and the plan for the meantime includes keeping as much of the existing parking available by requiring the contractor to make alternate parking arrangements for their workers.
3 of these new stalls will be wheelchair accessible, with above ground signage and access avenues on either side. These sites are the closest of all the parking spots to the front doors to ensure easy access and the safety of visitors.
There will be a period of time when the old hospital is demolished that parking will be constrained once again, but a portion of the new parking area, including the wheelchair accessible sites, will be available to the public and staff.
We still have to contend with winter conditions and an icy lot for a good portion of the year, but rest assured, when the new hospital is here, parking will be a lot easier.
Let us know what you think! Your comments and questions are always welcome.
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FAQ: Staffing the new hospital
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A new, state-of-the-art hospital is a large incentive to help drive recruitment and retention for Fort St. James. Planning for staff at the new hospital has already begun with much discussion around recruitment strategies and the number and mix of staff that will be required. While this is being determined, Northern Health is looking at nearly doubling the number of full time employees for the Stuart Lake Hospital.
Northern Health recruiters are working in partnership with the physicians, the Primary Care Society, the community and the First Nations Health Authority to attract and retain physicians and staff in Fort St James. We are in partnership with local schools to develop workers from within community.
We know that employment opportunities will be available in a number of areas in the new hospital, including:
- Housekeeper
- Cook
- Food Service Worker
- Stores Attendant
- Facilities Maintenance
- Registration Clerk
- Imaging Tech
- Medical Lab Technologist
- Lab Clerk
- Care Aid
- Licensed Practical Nurse
- Registered Nurse
- Primary Care Assistant
- Medical Office Assistant
- Community Health Worker
- Rehabilitation Assistant
- Mental Health Clinician
- Social Worker
- Occupational Therapist
- Physical Therapist
- Nurse Practitioner
- Physician
As opening day comes closer, expect updates here at Let's Talk and at the Northern Health Recruitment on how to apply. Don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you have questions, ideas or concerns. We welcome your input!
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Autumn 2022 Quarterly Update
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Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement Project Update - November 2022
Where we’re at
It’s been a busy summer for the Stuart Lake Hospital (SLH) Replacement Project! Since our last quarterly update, construction is truly underway – foundations have been poured and basement columns are rising. A visit to the site in August greeted us with this view:
August, On-site Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement ProjectAnd fall has brought even more progress (see October photo below), with crews looking forward to starting on structural steel construction in the new year.
October, On-site Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement ProjectProject schedule
Like all project schedules, timelines can be impacted by any number of factors and thus are subject to change. That said, the SLH replacement project is on time in terms of construction and design. The 100% Design Submittal is expected this month.
Next steps and upcoming milestones
Engagement
Regular updates on Let’s Talk Northern Health are the backbone of communications for the SLH replacement project. Connecting with the community is fundamental to the success of this project. We want to keep you informed and celebrate milestones together.
Lately, community engagement has broadened to include participation in health fairs and community events. It’s here, face-to-face with those who will access the new hospital, that we get the opportunity to connect, to share information on the new hospital, and hear community thoughts and ideas.
Keeping staff, clinicians, and physicians informed is paramount to the project. Internal communications include this update as well as handouts developed specifically for the project. These colourful, informative documents are regularly updated and distributed. They’re available at the Stuart Lake Hospital and the Primary Care Clinic, to keep community, staff and physicians in the loop and aware of the progress of the new hospital.
The Cultural Safety Working Group (CSWG - established to make sure the new hospital is culturally safe and welcoming for all), continues to meet, and the newly formed Community Advisory Working Group (CAWG) expects to meet soon. The CSWG includes members of all the First Nations groups local to the area, including Nak’azdli Whut’en, Yekooche First Nation, Binche Whut’en, Tl’azt’en First Nation and Takla First Nation. The CAWG consists of community groups and local interest groups whose unique experiences of health care inform the project on safe access, welcoming design, artwork and specific health considerations faced by these communities.
For more information
Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement Project Let’s Talk
Let’s Talk is our one-stop shop for everything related to the Stuart Lake Hospital project. Not only does this site have regular project updates, but it is also a place where you can provide feedback and thoughts on the project. We are always looking to connect and to hear from you! Please stay in touch and keep your questions coming. Stuart Lake Hospital Let’s Talk
Contact us directly
For questions, feedback, or to get added to the distribution list for these updates, feel free to reach out directly to us through Jill Wigmore, our Community Liaison Officer for the Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement Project at Gillian.wigmore@northernhealth.ca or at LetsTalkSLH@northernhealth.ca
Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement Project construction camera
We’ve installed a construction camera that you can access to see what’s going on at the site! Soon you’ll be able to click on the construction camera link on this page to follow our progress anytime you like.
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Where we're at Summer 2022
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Summer 2022 is full steam ahead for the Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement Project. Construction is advancing on schedule which means earthworks are underway. The site is busy with retaining wall work and excavation of the building footprint.
We are happy to say the design of the new hospital is also on schedule and on-going. We look forward to more opportunities to connect with the public and with our project partners at events and in the community in the near future.
To ask questions or for more information, please contact us here, at LetsTalkSLH@northernhealth.ca. And stay tuned! We'll have more to report as the summer progresses.
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Helipad Closed for Construction
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On May 1, 2022, the Stuart Lake Hospital helipad will be closed while the new hospital is built. This is because construction can’t safely take place with the helipad in operation. So, the helipad at the hospital will be decommissioned for the duration, and the helipad at the airport will be used for helicopter landings and patient transport during this time. The airport is 7.8km, roughly 9 minutes, from the hospital.
The hospital helipad will reopen once construction finishes. And even better, safety upgrades to the helipad will take place during construction. These upgrades will include fencing, signage, re-location of the wind-sock, painting, and new spotlights.
If you're wondering whether involving ambulances in transporting folks to the helipad is an extra step, you'll be interested to know that whether the helipad is at the airport or on the hospital site, BC Ambulance Services are involved in transporting the patient to the aircraft.
You might also be interested to know that the helipad at the airport is used three times more often to move patients to and from the Stuart Lake Hospital than the helipad at the hospital. BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) determines which of the two helipads to use depending on circumstances, availability of ambulance cars, and weather conditions. During the hospital construction and the hospital helipad closure, BCEHS staff won't find it procedurally unusual to use the airport helipad.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we take this necessary step to allow for the new, much needed, Stuart Lake Hospital to be built. If you have any questions, please reach out! You can contact us at LetsTalkSLH@northernhealth.ca.
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Spring 2022 Quarterly Update
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Stuart Lake Hospital Spring 2022 Quarterly Update
Where we’re at
Since Northern Health first began discussing the Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement project in 2008 we’ve come a long way. Provincial approval in 2018 led to the business plan approval in 2020, and in May 2021, Graham Design Builders LP was selected as the successful proponent of the project with their proposal for design, build, finance and maintenance. Now we find ourselves well into the procurement phase of the project.
Procurement consists of two parts: a technical submission and a financial submission. The technical submission ensures that the design meets community and health service needs, and the financial submission addresses the costs of the project. An evaluation committee then receives the submissions and reviews them. Throughout this process, the proponent’s design development continues.
Meanwhile, Northern Health is actively working with the contractor to ensure that the Stuart Lake Hospital will meet the community and health service needs while keeping within the Design Build Agreement. We’re also actively engaging with the community.
Project Schedule
Like all project schedules, timelines can be impacted any number of factors and thus are subject to change.
Flagging and falling of trees to clear the site began in early February 2022 and construction is currently on track to begin summer of 2022. Construction will take place between 2022 and 2024, with transfer of staff and patients the goal for 2025.
Next steps and upcoming milestones
Engagement next steps
Right now the Communications Team is establishing a Cultural Safety Working Group (CSWG) and a Community Advisory Working Group (CAWG). The work of the CSWG and the CAWG informs the project to help ensure a facility that reflects and supports the communities in the Fort St James area and the Northern Health Services Plan. Aspects of the project that may be influenced by these groups include patient experience, culturally appropriate design, artwork and signage, and local considerations of interest that arise as we meet.
There is a lot going on behind the scenes in a hospital replacement project, but a simplified version of the reporting goes like this: input from the CAWG and CSWG goes to the Capital Advisory Committee and then to the SLHR Project Steering Committee who, in collaboration with the Project Board, balances the complexities of a capital building project with the needs and wants of the local communities.
Engagement is a major part of Northern Health Capital Projects, and there will be many opportunities for input from the community as this project progresses.
Once construction has started for the Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement, this milestone will be celebrated by us on-site, online, and in the media. We hope you will join us!
Stuart Lake Hospital construction camera
Interested in what goes into a major hospital replacement? We will be installing a construction camera that you can access to see what’s going on at the site and watch it all come together. Although work has yet to begin, the construction camera will be a way to keep up to date with the Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement.
For a peek at other Capital Projects in progress in Northern BC, take a look at the GR Baker Construction Camera recording the hospital expansion in Quesnel, or at the Mills Memorial Construction Camera recording the replacement of the Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace.
For more information
Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement Project Let’s Talk
Let’s Talk is our one-stop shop for everything related to the Stuart Lake Hospital project. Not only does this site have regular project updates, but it is also a place where you can provide feedback and thoughts on the project.
Stuart Lake Hospital Let’s Talk
Contact us directly
For questions, feedback, or to get added to the distribution list for these updates, feel free to reach out directly to us through Jill Wigmore, our Community Liaison Officer for the Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement Project at LetsTalkSLH@northernhealth.ca
