Spring has officially sprung and progress on the new Stuart Lake Hospital is blossoming. Keep scrolling to check out this month's updated construction photos!

As the snow melts away, the wide sidewalks at the hospital emerge to soak up the sun. Inside the facility, the rays shine through the windows on the progress within. Pictured right, the Primary Care waiting area has come a long way since the March progress photos! Most notably, this space has brand new lighting and a finished ceiling.

Throughout the health centre, large windows showcase the picturesque landscape of Fort St. James. Depending where you are in the facility, you may be looking out at the lake and mountains, or you might have a tranquil view of the forest!

Staff areas are also coming together, as pictured on the right. Roomy workstations ensure doctors, nurses, and other health care staff will have more efficient workflows, which means better care for patients!

When a loved one is in the hospital or long term care, having a support system can make all the difference. The Gathering Space, pictured left, will be a comfortable area where families can come together to visit. During our engagement process, the community shared how important it would be to have a fire feature in the space. In the photo above, you can see the beginnings of a custom fireplace, which will be the centrepiece of the room.

On the right, the Graham team is hard at work bringing some colour into the new build.

The Gathering Space, Spiritual Space, and Long Term Care areas each overlook what will be beautiful patio gardens, facing the lake (top left). The Long Term Care wing has seen some major work in the past month including substantial progress on the nursing station (right) and the open concept dining area (bottom left).

The hospital will also have a private Palliative Care suite (top right). The suite features a large room to keep your loved one comfortable that opens onto a family area, complete with kitchenette. The Healing Garden, located steps outside Palliative Care, will feature carefully landscaped gardens featuring culturally important plants (bottom right). Since the new hospital will open in the winter, the garden will be completed in Spring/Summer 2025.

One of the biggest changes in the hospital since March? Doors!

Nearly all doors have been installed throughout the facility including sliding doors in Emergency (top left) and more private doors with customizable memory boxes in Long Term Care (top right). Residents in long term care will be able to decorate their memory boxes with photos and mementos that help identify which room is theirs.

Even though we've been showcasing our patient areas most, staff areas are also well underway. The boiler room photo (left) showcases a tiny corner of the massive space that will keep the entire facility running smoothly. Bottom right, the lab space in the new hospital is much larger than the current facility. Top right, the Graham crew works to install flooring in the future morgue.

We can't wait to welcome the community into the new Stuart Lake Hospital in 2025. Until then, check back for project updates and let us know what you're most excited for in the comments!

Since the beginning of the design process, we've prioritized community input to make sure the new build feels welcoming to all.

Our team connected with key leaders in the community, health care staff, and the Nak'azdli Whut'en, Tl'azt'en, Binche Whut'en, Takla Lake, and Yekooche First Nations to ensure collaboration every step of the way.

As these consultations went on, a recurring theme emerged: wanting the new build to reflect the natural beauty of the area.

With that direction, our design team took inspiration from the landscape features of the lake and the forest as a foundation for the master colour palette. After more community consultations, the final colour palette showcases the beauty of Fort St. James' transitioning seasons to identify different areas in the hospital.

So, what colours were chosen?

The hospital will feature two colour schemes inspired by the warmth and frost of the changing seasons in Fort St. James.

As the temperatures change through the transition of seasons, the land sees frost begin to appear in the late autumn months (Admin & Lab). While things may be chilly outdoors, winter brings warmth indoors through cherished family gatherings in the home (Long Term Care). Frost lingers through spring as the the days begin to stretch, soon bringing blossom to the landscape (Emergency). Finally, the familiar sunny skies of summer bathe the landscape in warmth (Primary Care).

The space between each area will be kept light and neutral to represent the balance of the seasons. Throughout the facility, wood finishings are used to tie the space together. We'll be sharing detailed renderings and progress for each area soon, but here's a preview of what to expect!

Top left: Emergency waiting area, Bottom Left: Main lobby/reception, Top right: Long term care nursing station, Bottom Right: Primary Care waiting area.

Note: All renderings are approximate and subject to change

It was fantastic seeing so many people come out for this week's career fair at Kwah Hall! Our team had a great time connecting with the community and offering a sneak peek at the new hospital build. Thank you to the Nak'azdli Whut'en for having us.

If you couldn't make it out to the career fair, don't worry! Since the new Stuart Lake Hospital is set to open early next year, we will be hiring many positions over the coming months. Health care and support services jobs will include:

• Housekeeper
• Cook
• Food Services Worker
• Facility Maintenance
• Maintenance Worker
• Registration Clerk
• Imaging Tech
• Medical Lab Technologist
• Lab Clerk
• Care Aid
• Licensed Practical Nurse
• Registered Nurse

Opportunities for employment will also exist in the Primary Care Clinic which will be housed in the new hospital:

• Primary Care Assistant
• Medical Office Assistant
• Community Health Worker
• Rehabilitation Assistant
• Mental Health Clinician
• Social Worker
• Occupational Therapist
• Physical Therapist
• Nurse Practitioner
• Physicians

If you'd like more information about these positions or know someone that would be a good fit, connect with our recruitment team at recruitmentsupport@northernhealth.ca

Keep an eye out for us at future events!

You've seen how exterior construction has progressed thanks to the time-lapse video we shared last month, but what's going on inside the new Stuart Lake Hospital? The team from Graham took us on a site tour this week to see how it's all coming together.

Keep scrolling for a look inside the new facility!

Welcome to the entrance of the new Stuart Lake Hospital! Natural light is a priority to ensure the new space is as bright and inviting as possible. You'll find floor-to-ceiling windows walking in and sky-high ceilings in the main reception lobby.

The new site will move health services under one roof. Above is a sneak peek at the new Primary Care areas (left: reception and waiting area, right: patient room).

In Long-Term Care, we want to make sure the space is inviting for residents and their families. On the left, you'll see one of the spacious rooms (with a spectacular view of Mount Pope). On the right, the tour is scoping out the common areas, which will eventually become a living room/lounge area, dining room, and kitchen.

Even though construction has come a long way, there's still lots to do before opening! The Graham crew is hard at work making sure every detail is perfect. (Pictured right: the new Spiritual Space begins to take form. Top left: crews building the long-term care nursing station. Bottom left: Graham project manager Drew sharing plans with HSA Megan from Northern Health)

We can't wait to welcome the community into the new Stuart Lake Hospital in 2025. Until then, check back for project updates and let us know what you're most excited for in the comments!

Construction on the new Stuart Lake Hospital has come a long way since breaking ground! Now that the exterior of the new facility is almost complete, we thought this would be the perfect time to look back and see how it all came together...

Tip: Make sure you're watching in 1080p for the best viewing experience.

Did you know you can see the SLH build progress from the comfort of your home? Check out the live snapshot, time lapse, or take a tour through the archives with our SLH construction camera.

This fall, the team will start installing equipment and getting internal systems ready to go for opening in early 2025. The new building will bring all health services under one roof, providing:

• 27 beds: 18 community care and 9 acute care
• An emergency department with 2 treatment rooms, a trauma bay, and a covered ambulance bay
• Primary care
• Lab and diagnostic imaging
• In-house spiritual and gathering spaces
• Larger space for palliative care
• Culturally and medicinally significant landscaping with outdoor spaces and gardens
  
  

Pictured: Sebastian Mountjoy (Project Manager), Andre Wakkary (Sr. Project Coordinator), Ciro Panessa (CEO Northern Health), Drew Woods (Sr. Project Manager), Nathan Shields (Site Superintendent) visit the site of the new Stuart Lake Hospital.

Project status update

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:

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

As the fall months go by and the site gets ready for the winter, work continues to progress both inside and outside at a rapid pace. Over the winter, work will continue inside to continue bringing the building to life.

The main entrance to the new Stuart Lake Hospital will provide a welcoming and inclusive first point of contact for patients, family, and staff to Stuart Lake Hospital.

Drywall is progressing throughout the hospital including in the inpatient rooms. In the new Stuart Lake Hospital, all inpatient rooms will be single rooms with a dedicated washroom.

The family gathering space will have access to a landscaped outdoor area with covered seating.

In addition to the landscaped outdoor space near the family gathering space, the long-term care area as well as the paliative care room will have an outdoor healing garden with plants local to the region.

In addition to all the work going on inside, one of the most beautiful components of the hospital is the region itself. This view is taken from within the hospital. Natural light and windows are a big component of the design and views like these will be common throughout the facility.

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.

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.