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Concept to Reality
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Watching images come to life is always an exciting thing. Recently, the project team for the new Stuart Lake Hospital got to do just that with a site tour to see the in-progress construction. Going through the framed structure, it's easy to see the concept plan coming to life before our eyes.
Just take a look for yourself. This is the final concept rendering for the front of the new hospital:
And this is the under-construction new hospital. You can see the overhang from the main entrance coming to life in this photo. You can also see the size of the new facility, which is drastically larger than the current facility.
We look forward to sharing more photos with you as the build progresses. And don't forget, you can take a look at the progress at any time through our construction camera.
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Site Photo: March 2023
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What a difference a few weeks make! Structural steel installation is well underway at the Stuart Lake Hospital construction site. It's a massive difference from this time last year, and even from our last post about the elevator shaft. It's clear to see we'll have a new hospital before too long.
Less visually-impactful than the steel installation, but equally importantly, water- and damp-proofing continues and the underslab and foundation insulation is progressing in line with below grade services and utilities.
It's a busy place for crews working on-site, and an exciting time for Fort St. James!
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Mysterious Orange Object
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View of the SLH site from Junkers St.Folks with their eyes open for change at the Stuart Lake Hospital site will have noticed a mysterious orange object smack in the middle of construction. Right now it's a curious, brightly coloured beacon against a winter landscape, but the orange object, once unwrapped and revealed, will be recognizable as the elevator shaft, a vital constructional element of the new hospital.
View of the construction area from SLH deckElevator shafts act as a structural backbone to a building to which other elements connect. The elevator in the Stuart Lake Hospital allows access to the basement level, where the electrical and maintenance areas are found, as well as the Morgue and the Quiet Room.
Up close and personal with the elevator shaftWatch as the hospital continues to take shape, and stay tuned here for more information on the specific areas of the hospital and what you can look forward to once the new build is complete.
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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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Site Photo: January 2023
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Although I spend as much time in Fort St. James and Nak'azdli Whut'en as I can, for the most part I'm based on Lheidli T'enneh territory in Prince George, and when I just can't take any more of the city, I sneak a peek at the construction camera to see what the weather's doing and where we're at with construction. It's a pleasure to see the lake in the background and the trees that surround the site, and it's fascinating to see a hospital being built from the ground up. It's amazing to have a front row seat on change.
Little by little, with the work and organization of many, a hospital is growing, and it's no paltry project - even if Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace will have 78 beds to our 27, it's no less impactful for our community. How we access health care, whether it's for a check-up at the Primary Care Clinic or for emergency services, where we go for help is changing, and that's a big deal.
This year, we'll bring you along for the view. We'll be posting a snapshots of the hospital project to keep you in the loop. You can join me in the front row to watch the new Stuart Lake Hospital appear, concrete pour by concrete pour, until it's time for the patients and staff to move in and for the old hospital to come down. Come along for the ride! And send your feedback. We'd love to hear from you: LetsTalkSLH@northernhealth.ca
Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement Project on a sunny Sunday morning in January 2023 -
Hospital Highlight: A Sign of Appreciation
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Building a hospital is a community endeavour, and in the case of the Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement Project, it's been one many community organizations and individuals have worked toward for years.
Recently Northern Health created a sign to acknowledge community partners and installed it at the hospital site. It's a small gesture to say thank you for the support and efforts of our partners, but it represents enormous appreciation.
We are so grateful for the hard work of the community - all of those who worked to get the project off the ground during the planning phases, and all those who continue to work with us on the project to this day - your support is vital to the project and will impact health care in the Stuart Lake area for years to come.
We thank you, even more than a sign can say.
Signs in place in front of the Stuart Lake Hospital on a sunny December day. Thanks to Greg Marr, SOO NI Rural, for the photo -
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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Yekooche Health Fair
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The 20th of September was a great day for a drive up to Yekooche! Thanks to an early start and no hauling that day, I startled many grouse off the road and wasn't startled myself by any big trucks. I was early for the health fair, set up quickly, and helped others bring in their door prizes. I also sneaked out for a photo or two of the beautiful school and the bright fall morning.
It was a pleasure to talk to so many people about the new hospital in Fort St. James! Everyone was happy to hear that construction is well underway, but we were even happier to get more input from the community on what will make a safe and welcoming hospital for all. Over the course of the project, in meetings with the Cultural Safety Working Group which includes members from Yekooche, Takla, Tl'azt'en, Binche and Nak'azdli as well as Indigenous Health, and while connecting with people in community we have heard and incorporated many ideas that will make the new Stuart Lake Hospital a comfortable and comforting place for patients and people visiting the hospital.
It was fantastic to reconnect with community members who have contributed already, and to make new connections and hear new ideas. We're so grateful for the input and the result of all these conversations will be a hospital that is a reflection of all the communities it serves.
A huge thank you to Yekooche and to Krista Janssen for having us at the health fair, and an even bigger thank you to all the community members who took time to chat with me and give us their feedback. Please remember that feedback is always welcome! You can contact us here at LetsTalkSLH@northernhealth.ca or you can find us in the community. Takla health fair is next!
Thanks for a great day, Yekooche!
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Mid-season progress
Share Mid-season progress on Facebook Share Mid-season progress on Twitter Share Mid-season progress on Linkedin Email Mid-season progress linkWhile we're out enjoying the summer, the construction season at Stuart Lake Hospital is well underway. Unless we stop and look, we might miss appreciating the progress as it takes place.
Congratulations to the Graham construction crew for a great start on earthworks and construction of the new Stuart Lake Hospital!
Enjoy these snapshots of the same view in May and in July of 2022.
View of Stuart Lake Hospital looking west in May 2022
View of Stuart Lake Hospital looking west in July 2022Stay in touch! Keep up with the progress of the new hospital here on Let's Talk or contact us with comments and questions at LetsTalkSLH@northernhealth.ca.
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Stuart Lake Hospital Showcased in Recruitment Video
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Early in the morning on February 24, 2022, the 6ix Sigma film crew arrived at the Stuart Lake Hospital ready to meet the staff and start filming. The photographer roamed the hospital snapping pictures and getting to know hospital staff in the lab, radiology, and throughout the hospital, while the film crew followed Tiwi Mukubvu as she went about her day at work.
Tiwi moved from Toronto to Fort St James as a new grad. Her enjoyment of her chosen home is clear. In the video she is seen at work with her colleagues at Stuart Lake hospital, at Murray Ridge Ski Hill, where her friend and fellow nurse Sarah Grill coaches her down the slopes, and as she and her daughter stroll along the frozen shore of Stone’s Bay on Stuart Lake, or Nakal Bun in Dakelh, where food gathering and recreation have been mainstays of humans for thousands of years.
6ix Sigma brings her story as a second generation nurse and a Northern BC transplant to life, showcasing the care with which she and her colleagues tend to their patients. “We all work together,” Tiwi says. “It’s all hands on deck – someone is the right hand and someone is the left hand and we just work well together.”
Tiwi Mukubvu at work
Nurses on skis at Murray RidgeTiwi’s passion for her job and the community are a highlight of the video. Having learned to embrace the winter, she has no regrets about moving to Fort St James. The smile we see on her face as she as she and her daughter ramble the snowy shore doesn’t waiver. The video captures the winter beauty of Fort St James and showcases the outdoor opportunities adventure-seekers and nature-lovers enjoy when they’re off work.
Tiwi is one individual among many who have chosen to move to Fort St James for work, and her hunch about the Stuart Lake Hospital was right: she’s found friends among her colleagues who all share her anticipation for the new hospital. “All our staff here are excited about it,” she says, “I think nothing beats working in a new facility.”
Currently, Stuart Lake Hospital has 13 beds. The new hospital will more than double that number, and with an increase to the services offered, more staff are needed to fill nursing, physician, lab, and diagnostic imaging positions.
6ix Sigma’s work, and the enthusiastic participation of the hospital staff in its creation, have resulted in a captivating video that prospective healthcare workers won’t be able to resist – the camaraderie and support of staff for one another and their commitment to their hospital and its patients are clearly on display.
Adding to the puzzle library in long term careStay tuned to Let’s Talk to view the video on its release.