On Friday, May 24, 2024 from 8am to 5pm, a small section of 12 St. between 112 Ave and 113 Ave will be closed due to construction activities for the new Dawson Creek & District Hospital.

There will be traffic control on-site during the closure. Vehicle traffic will be one way and pedestrians will be re-directed around the closure.

See the map below for the location of the closure.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have questions or concerns, please email LetsTalkDCDH@northernhealth.ca

Last week, we had the opportunity to showcase the Dawson Creek & District Hospital, Mills Memorial Hospital and Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement Projects at the annual Northern Health Spring Leadership Forum in Prince George.

This year’s forum brought in over 100 leaders from across the region for two days of education, collaboration, and networking. In addition to the daily sessions, the leaders were also able to experience over 50 demo pods centered around Digital Health, SaferCare, and HealthSpaces.

The new build project booths were featured in the HealthSpaces area and were packed with:

• Exciting information about the projects
• Draft renderings of the new facilities
• Construction progress photos and video walk-throughs
• Sample materials and finishes boards
• Live construction cameras
• Swag and giveaways
• And a 3D printed crane!

Construction on the new Mills Memorial Hospital is almost complete! The new hospital will be open and ready for patients by the end of 2024. Interested in learning more about the project? Visit Let’s Talk MMH.

Construction on the new Stuart Lake Hospital is also well underway! The new hospital will be open and ready for patients in early 2025. Interested in learning more about the project? Visit Let’s Talk SLH.

Pictured rom left to right: Sarah Artis, Project Liaison, Mills Memorial Hospital Replacement; Ashley Pannozzo, Community Engagement Liaison, Dawson Creek & District Hospital Replacement; Christine Midgley, Community Engagement Liaison, Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement; Mark Hendricks, Communications Lead, Capital Projects.

Were you able to catch a glimpse of the amazing aurora borealis show on Friday night? Check out this awesome photo of the Northern Lights dancing above the DCDH tower cranes!

Project status update

Concrete pours for the suspended slabs are now underway! Pours for Level 1 started in late-January and are almost complete, Level 2 started in March and will be complete in June, and Level 3 is anticipated from May to July.

In February, members from the various project teams attended an in-person mock-up review of a typical multi-trade rack (MTR) in Coquitlam to provide feedback and discuss the pre-fabrication design. The MTR’s will start arriving on site in late-June.

In early-March, Graham Design Builders submitted the 95% design for review. The project team is currently working through the feedback and comments received from user groups. The 100% design submission is anticipated to be received later this summer.

Following the 95% design submission, mock-up #3 was held in the Quonset hut on the site of the current hospital for leadership representatives to experience key features of the design and provide feedback. The mock-up consisted of two fully constructed patient rooms and included sample materials and finishes, millwork locations, and key equipment and furniture.

A Request for Proposals (RFP) was posted for an Operational Readiness Advisor and proposals are already being received. The scope of work for operational readiness services will be divided into three phases with key focuses.

• Phase 1 – Educate and inform DCDH leadership on the operational readiness process and assess preparedness and capacity.
• Phase 2 – Focus on the operational readiness development and implementation, which includes developing work plans for all individual programs, units and services.
• Phase 3 – Work closely with leadership, staff and user groups to execute the work prepared in previous phases and support the transition to the new hospital.

Road Closure Notices

As of April 26, 2024, the road south of the DCDH construction site and the rear access road to the Northern Lights College (NLC) campus will be closed until further notice due to construction activities. There will be no vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist access through this road until it re-opens. Some NLC parking stalls located near the road closure will also be impacted.

Pedestrians and cyclists accessing NLC, Campus Kids Daycare or the Community Garden will have to do so via 112 Ave or 116 Ave.

Vehicles accessing NLC, Campus Kids Daycare or the Community Garden will have to do so via 116 Ave or 8 Street/Highway 2. Parking at the community garden will not be impacted.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Engagement Initiatives

Education, job and career fairs

Recently, a series of education and career fairs have been held at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, Saulteau First Nations, and Dawson Creek Secondary School South Peace campus. Ashley Pannozzo, our Community Engagement Liaison, has been in attendance to share information about the new build and employment opportunities at the current and future hospital.

Byron Stewart, Northeast Recruitment and Retention Ambassador, and Machiel Mostert, Engagement Lead for Volunteer Resources, also attended these events to share information about job opportunities, career paths and volunteer opportunities with Northern Health.

Attendees of the fairs were able to take a copy of the DCDH employment flyer, DCDH quick facts flyer, Northern Health Grow Our Own booklet, and the Health Career Access Program brochure.

A lot of students expressed interest in pursuing health care education or careers. Others were interested to hear about the variety of non-clinical and support services positions as well as trades opportunities with the construction of the new hospital.

100+ Women Who Care Gala

Vicki Rose, Executive Director, Dawson Creek & District Hospital Foundation, and Ashley Pannozzo were invited to attend the recent 100+ Women Who Care fundraising gala. Attendees were able to learn about the exciting campaigns the DCDH Foundation has underway, and the progress being made on the construction of the new hospital.

Interested in learning more?

Browse Let’s Talk DCDH

Here are some stories, photos, videos and documents that have been shared recently:

• Road closure: As of April 26
• Road closure: April 22-26
• Construction Camera Timelapse - March 2024
• Drone video - March 2024
• Monthly labour reporting table - As of March 31 2024 (pdf)
• Drone video of site of new hospital
• Career fair at Dawson Creek Secondary School
• Education, jobs, and career fair at Saulteau First Nations
• Mock-up #3 in the Quonset hut
• Construction Camera Timelapse - February 2024
• Monthly labour report - As of February 29 2024 (pdf)
• Multi-trade rack mock-up in Coquitlam
• Education and career fair at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School
• Name those cranes!
• Level 1 suspended slab pours
• Monthly labour reporting table - As of January 31 2024 (pdf)
• Construction Camera Timelapse - January 2024
• A Project Update: January 2024

Contact us directly

Email us at LetsTalkDCDH@northernhealth.ca.

As of April 28, 2024, the road south of the DCDH construction site and the rear access road to the Northern Lights College (NLC) campus will be closed until further notice due to construction activities. There will be no vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist access through this road until it re-opens.

Some NLC parking stalls located near the road closure will be impacted. Parking at the community garden will not be impacted.

Pedestrians and cyclists accessing NLC, Campus Kids Daycare or the Community Garden will have to do so via 112 Ave or 116 Ave.

Vehicles accessing NLC, Campus Kids Daycare or the Community Garden will have to do so via 116 Ave or 8 Street/Highway 2.

See the map below for more information about alternative routes.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have questions or concerns, please email LetsTalkDCDH@northernhealth.ca

Map credit: Northern Lights College Marketing

From April 22 to 27, 2024, a section of the Northern Lights College (NLC) campus road will be closed due to construction activities for the new DCDH. Vehicle, pedestrian and cyclist traffic will be diverted around the closure. Some NLC parking stalls located near the road closure will also be impacted.

See the map below for more information about alternative ways to access the NLC campus and buildings.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have questions or concerns, please email LetsTalkDCDH@northernhealth.ca

Map credit: Northern Lights College Marketing

Want a bird's eye view of the work that's underway on the new Dawson Creek & District Hospital? Check out this awesome drone video of the construction site!

Watch the video here:

Drone video - March 2024 | Videos | DCDH Replacement Project | Let's Talk Northern Health

On Wednesday, March 13, School District 59 hosted a career fair at Dawson Creek Secondary School’s (DCSS) South Peace campus. They welcomed 400-600 students in Grades 10-12 to come through the gymnasium to engage with over 25 local organizations.

Northern Health was invited to share information about volunteer opportunities, career paths, and the new Dawson Creek & District Hospital – which is currently under construction just up the street!

It was exciting to hear that a lot of students are interested in pursuing an education or career in health care. Those who weren’t interested in working in the medical/clinical side of the industry were intrigued to hear that there are also non-clinical and support services positions available to support the delivery of health care services.

In addition to employment opportunities with Northern Health, some of the students that are considering a career in the trades industry were interested to learn about the timeline for the construction of the new Dawson Creek & District Hospital – which will be complete in 2027.

In a couple of months, a group of students from School District 59 will be also be participating in the Adventures in Health Care program in Dawson Creek and Fort St. John. These students will have the opportunity to tour facilities in the North and South Peace and get a sense of what it's like working for Northern Health.

Throughout the event, we asked DCSS students and staff to submit one word to describe how they want the new Dawson Creek & District Hospital to look and feel. Here's what they told us:

Attended on behalf of Northern Health (pictured in 2nd photo from left to right): Machiel Mostert, Engagement Lead, Volunteer Resources; Ashley Pannozzo, Community Engagement Liaison, DCDH Replacment Project; and Byron Stewart, Northeast Recruitment and Retention Ambassador.

On Tuesday, March 12, Saulteau First Nations and Muskoti Learning Centre hosted an education, jobs, and career fair and welcomed local job seekers, band members, and secondary school students from Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge, and Hudson’s Hope.

Attendees had the opportunity to engage with representatives from over 20 organizations to learn about their services, programs, and current or future employment opportunities.

We were honored to be invited to this event to share information and answer questions about:

• Job opportunities and career paths with Northern Health
• The role that Indigenous Health plays in supporting Indigenous patients
• Fun facts about the new Dawson Creek & District Hospital
• Volunteer opportunities in the South Peace region

Those who took some time to stop by the table and speak with us were also able to take a copy of the Grow Our Own booklet, Health Career Access Program (HCAP) brochure, a volunteer application form, the DCDH employment flyer, and the DCDH fact sheet.

Attended this event on behalf of Northern Health (pictured from left to right): Logan Ritcher, Indigenous Care Coordinator, Chetwynd Hospital and Health Centre; Ashley Pannozzo, Community Engagement Liaison, DCDH Replacement Project; and Byron Stewart, Northeast Recruitment and Retention Ambassador.

A little bit about Logan and her role as the Indigenous Care Coordinator:

Logan was born and raised in Chetwynd and is a Saulteau First Nations member. She recently graduated from Douglas College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and returned to her hometown to begin working. Being passionate about Indigenous health care, she was hired for the Indigenous Care Coordinator (ICC) position at the Chetwynd Hospital and Health Centre in June 2023.

In her role as the ICC, Logan works with Indigenous clients throughout their health care journey to support and educate them on services and supports that are available. She also works with staff members to incorporate traditional health practices into patient care and into the hospital’s spaces. Bridging the gap between western and traditional medicine is an extremely important aspect of her role.

Logan finds her position with Northern Health Indigenous Health to be extremely rewarding because she is continuously learning about health care and the different aspects of patient care. She’s very excited to see what the future holds for roles similar to hers and how the Indigenous Health team will expand and grow.

Last week, Graham Design Builders LP submitted the 95% design and hosted the third round of mock-ups inside the Quonset hut.

Read more about ‘what’s inside the Quonset hut’.

Mock-up #3 consisted of a fully constructed bariatric inpatient bedroom and washroom and isolation room and anteroom. These rooms included sample materials and finishes, millwork locations, key pieces of equipment, IMIT device and power receptacle locations, and furniture. Leadership representatives were able to experience key features of the design, provide feedback and input, and make design decisions.

In addition to the constructed rooms, they reviewed window blinds, the layout of a medication room and the layout of the LDRP washroom and birthing tub.

Mock-up #4 will be a prototype of an inpatient bedroom and washroom and bariatric room which will include all materials, services, millwork, finishes, equipment and furniture. It’ll be constructed in its actual location within the new facility and reviewed at various stages of construction.

Photos from inside the isolation room and anteroom

Photos from inside the bariatric inpatient room and washroom

Photos from inside the medication room

Photos from inside the LDRP washroom with the birthing tub

Photo of the window blinds review