Local and regional photography and art

Northern Health invites local artists and photographers to submit original artwork, Indigenous art, and/or photographs to be purchased/licensed by Northern Health and used for permanent display in various locations within the new Ksyen Regional Hospital in Terrace.

Download a PDF copy of this opportunity to share with your extended network, colleagues, friends, and family.

Theme:

“What our region means to you”

We invite artists of all ages to share visual works that reflect the heart of Terrace, which sits on the traditional territory of the Ts'ymsyen (Tsimshian) people.

This is a celebration of the people, places, and stories that shape our region. Whether it’s the natural beauty of the land, the strength of community, or the cultural traditions of the local First Nations, we want to see what makes this place meaningful to you.

Submissions may include a variety of visual art forms such as photography, paintings, drawings, sculptures, beadwork, or other creative mediums. Imagery can reflect nature, wildlife, landscapes, people, or any other aspect that expresses what the region means to you. All artworks should be grounded in the identity of Terrace and/or respectfully reflect the voices, histories, and perspectives of the Ts'ymsyen (Tsimshian) people.

Let your art tell the story of our home and the connections that bring us together.

Compensation:

Each artist may submit up to five original pieces. For every piece selected, Northern Health will provide a payment of $1,800, with a maximum of $9,000 per artist.

Submission Guidelines:

You may submit up to five original pieces, this can include photographs, physical artwork, or a combination of both. For each piece, please include a short description explaining how it connects to the theme “What our region means to you.”

What to include in your submission:

If submitting photographs:

• Upload the original, full-resolution JPEG file. Avoid screenshots or compressed versions.
• Select “Actual Size” or “Full Resolution” when sending files. This helps preserve image quality.
• Do not submit low-resolution or compressed images. These may appear blurry or pixelated when printed.
• Image resolution should be at least 150 PPI (pixels per inch)
  1. 300 PPI is preferred for the sharpest results.
  2. This should be at 100% of the image’s intended display size.
• If using a smartphone camera, ensure the file size is between 5–10 MB or more to meet quality standards.
• Because high-quality files can be quite large, we encourage you to use file-sharing services such as WeTransfer, Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive to submit your artwork.
• Email attachments may not support the file size. If you prefer to submit your work in person (e.g., on a USB drive or external hard drive), please contact us to arrange a drop-off time.

If submitting physical artwork:

• Provide a clear photo of the piece.
• Include the approximate dimensions (height, width, and depth if applicable).
• If there are any care or maintenance instructions for the piece, please include them.

Additional notes:

• You do not need to arrange printing, ordering, or installation of either photographs or physical artwork as Northern Health is responsible for doing so.
• All submissions remain the property of the artist or photographer and are used only for evaluation purposes.
• If your submission is not selected, your images will not be used or shared outside of the evaluation committee.
• Please feel free to include watermarks and/or logos in the submission of images.

Evaluation Criteria:

All submissions will be reviewed by the Ksyen Art Committee. Artwork will be assessed based on the following:

• How well the piece reflects the theme “What our region means to you.”
• Inclusion of, or respectful representation of, local Indigenous cultures and traditions.
• The artwork’s ability to foster a sense of comfort, calm, and community within the hospital setting.
• Creativity, craftsmanship, and uniqueness of the piece.
• Suitable location to display artwork.
• Meets Northern Health’s infection prevention and control standards.
• Meets Northern Health’s risk management and safety standards.

Please note: The Art Committee will make the final decision on the placement of selected artwork within the hospital to ensure it aligns with the space and overall environment.

Legal Information:

Selected artists/photographers will be required to sign a formal agreement, assigning certain intellectual property rights to Northern Health. Within the agreement, the artist/photographer will license the physical display of the images/art.

Northern Health will not reproduce or distribute the images without express consent from the artist/photographer; however, as part of a public display, photographs or images of the facility used for promotional material may capture the artwork on site. Such use will be authorized within the agreement.

Estimated Schedule:

How to Submit:

Please submit your package with the subject:

“Ksyen Regional Hospital Art Submission”

To: Ksyen Regional Hospital Administration at krhadministration@northernhealth.ca

Questions?

Please email Mark Hendricks, Communications Lead Capital Projects at mark.hendricks@northernhealth.ca if you have any questions or require any additional information regarding this opportunity.

Emergency Department -- important update: At 6:00 am on Sunday November 24:

• The emergency department at the NEW Ksyen Regional Hospital will open.
• The emergency department at the old hospital will CLOSE to new patients.

Until Sunday Nov. 24 at 6:00 am, if you have a medical emergency, please go to the emergency department at the OLD hospital.

Questions? Email us at LetsTalkMMH@northernhealth.ca

If you’re in labour or needing other care after 6:00 am on Sunday Nov 24, please go to the Birthing Unit on the 3^rd floor of the NEW Ksyen Regional Hospital.

For directions and more, please see Important information for pregnant patients

Questions? Email us at LetsTalkMMH@northernhealth.ca.

What’s happening?

• All patients will be safely moved to their new rooms in our state-of-the-art new Ksyen Regional Hospital in Terrace.
• Medical care continues without interruption.
• Our dedicated team will supervise every step.

What we need from families:

• Take home all patients’ personal items before Patient Move Day.
• No visiting on Patient Move Day, please, unless you’re an essential visitor. You can trust us to care for your loved ones during the transition.

Regular visiting hours resume at the new Ksyen Regional Hospital on Monday, November 25.

We understand this is a big change for everyone. Our team has trained extensively for this day to ensure every patient's safety and comfort during the move.

Questions? Email us at LetsTalkMMH@northernhealth.ca

Starting Monday November 25, parking around Ksyen Regional Hospital in Terrace will be limited, going from our current 216 spots to about 173.

Once complete, there will be 313 parking spaces, including 14 new accessible spaces.

NH continues to work to find solutions:

• Our general contractor, PCL, recently freed up 40 more parking spaces (see shaded portions on map).
• NH has found about 25 extra parking spots for staff at the Keith Avenue Mall.
• This brings us to the current planned total of 173.

NH is actively exploring further options – details to follow. In the meantime, staff and members of the public are encouraged to:

• Get a ride from family/friends whenever possible
• Consider using Terrace public transit, taxis, or HandyDART, if these options make sense for your situation.

We thank you for your patience and we commit to keeping you informed about the parking situation.

Questions? Email us at LetsTalkMMH@northernhealth.ca

It’s Hospital Move Week! A friendly reminder not to visit Mills Memorial Hospital this week unless:

• It’s medically urgent
• You have a prescheduled appointment
• You’re an essential visitor

Details about the move:

• Visiting a loved one? Please don’t visit either of the hospitals (new or old) on Patient Move Day (Sunday, Nov. 24) unless you’re an essential visitor.
• Need emergency care? The emergency department at the new hospital will be open starting at 6:00 am on Sunday. Until then, please go to Emergency at the old hospital.
• Ksyen Regional Hospital will be open for regular visiting hours starting on Monday, November 25.

Questions? Email us at LetsTalkMMH@northernhealth.ca

The new state-of-the-art hospital in Terrace has reached another important milestone as it has been gifted a Tsimshian name, Ksyen Regional Hospital, Terrace. The name recognizes the territory in which the hospital was built and the region it serves.

Local First Nations and municipal leaders had discussions together about the naming of the hospital. It was agreed that a Tsimshian name proposed by the Kitsumkalum First Nation would be the name submitted to be approved by the Northern Health Board of Directors and the Province.

Ksyen (KUH-see-yen) is the Sm’algyax name for the Skeena River. Sm’algya̱x is the language spoken by the Ts’msyen (Tsimshian) people, who have lived for thousands of years on the North Coast of British Columbia. Northern Health will be collaborating with Kitsumkalum and Kitselas on a name gifting ceremony soon.

Ksyen Regional Hospital, Terrace, will also recognize the history and important contributions that Dr. Stanley Mills and others have made to health care in the region -- including Dr. Mills’ role in bringing the current hospital to the community. Dr. Mills will be recognized in the new facility with a history wall and will have the ambulatory care unit named in his honour.

“With this new hospital we now have a significant and meaningful opportunity to recognize and honour the historic past, the first peoples and the Indigenous territory that this facility is on,” said Northern Health Board chair Colleen Nyce. “I am grateful for the collective input and discussion that has brought us to this decision, and in particular I thank both Kitsumkalum and Kitselas First Nations for coming together to allow this very appropriate Tsimshian name to be used.”

Nyce added, “We will always hold the first Terrace Hospital, Mills Memorial, in our hearts with deep and lasting memory. I am so pleased that the new Ambulatory Care Unit will continue to carry the name of Dr. Mills.”

Northern Health has worked collaboratively with local and regional First Nations to ensure the new hospital is culturally safe and welcoming, through an Indigenous advisory working group which provided input on the new facility throughout the life of the project. The new, state-of-the-art hospital is located at the north end of the current hospital grounds and is undergoing final preparations for opening.

Learn More:

To learn more about capital projects in Northern Health and across the province, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/capital-projects

Download the printable Summer 2024 Quarterly Project Update (images are included).

Where we’re at

Northern Health gets the keys on August 20!

PCL will officially transfer ownership of the new hospital to Northern Health on Tuesday, August 20. Note that this doesn’t mean the new hospital is now operational; rather, it means Northern Health can now undertake the next phase of work: activation work towards becoming operational. Staff and physicians are getting excited to see the inside of the hospital for the first time! They’ll get a chance to have a sneak peek of the new building the following Friday and Saturday. These brief tours are not considered orientation; almost a full month (Oct. 15 to Nov. 18) has been set aside for much of the staff and physician orientation and training in the new facility.

See project progress from May 2021 until now

Check out the latest construction time-lapse video!

Recent milestones:

• Local artist Alison Johansen is donating four of her beautiful paintings to the new facility; these will add colour and interest to the walls.
• Some new pathways outside the hospital are complete (see second timelapse photo above), and landscaping has started for some areas outside of the hospital.
• Efforts to recruit more physicians and staff continue.
• Several new state-of-the-art diagnostic machines, both large and small, have arrived at the new hospital – see articles below for more detail.

Where we’re going

Key move dates:

• Mon. Nov. 18 to Sat. Nov. 23: Phased move of some clinical and all non-clinical spaces.
• Sunday, November 24: The big day! Patients are moved; final equipment move takes place.

Activation and move planning: An update from Anne Chisholm, MMH Project Transition and Move Coordinator

The transition to the new hospital requires that the building becomes a functional hospital ready to provide patient care on the first day of the patient move. Activation is about the practical process of physically moving contents, stocking the building with equipment and supplies, and relocating patients from the existing hospital to the new facility.

Our activation strategy integrates building and operational readiness by identifying, organizing, and facilitating planning activities needed to bring the new facility to life, while maintaining the continuity of operations at the current hospital and minimizing downtime and risks to patient care activities throughout the transition period.

Our planning integrates environmental services, facility maintenance, biomedical engineering, materials management and logistics, protection services, IMIT, clinical scenarios testing, operational workflow simulations, emergency preparedness, orientation and training, communication and public relations, the physical move plan, and the patient transfer plan.

Recent highlights

New diagnostic imaging machines arrive

Three major new pieces of equipment have arrived: a new CT scanner was delivered at the end of May, a SPEC-CT machine arrived in June, and a new MRI arrived from Germany on July 22.

“All the machines represent the latest technology to provide patients in the Northwest with the most advanced imaging without having to travel to a larger centre,” said Marina Downs, Diagnostic Imaging Manager, Mills Memorial. “This will support our core values to provide care closest to home.”

The combined value of the three new state-of-the-art machines, which replace older equipment that was approaching the end of its life, is just under $5 million. The machines were funded as part of the overall hospital project by the North West Regional Hospital District and by the BC Ministry of Health through Northern Health.

For full details, check out this post (https://letstalk.northernhealth.ca/mmh/news_feed/draft-ct-scanner) on Let’s Talk.

Other new equipment will provide state-of-the-art care closer to home

In addition to the large machines mentioned above, the new hospital will boast several other new pieces of diagnostic equipment:

• New mammogram equipment and two new x-ray rooms
• One new fluoroscopy room (fluoroscopy is used for studies like barium swallows)
• Three new ultrasound machines, bringing the total to six
• One new portable x-ray machine, bringing the total to two
• One new C-arm (portable fluoroscopy machine) for the operating rooms, bringing the total to two. This machine makes it possible for physicians to do scans for bone injuries and other conditions during surgeries.

Celebrating MMH through stories

During the past 80 years, MMH has been part of many stories of joy, hope, change, and loss. As we look forward to the new hospital, let’s honour those special moments! Help us remember the existing Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace and all those who have worked and received care there. Go to Let’s Talk MMH to learn more, or download the story submission form.

Interested in working at the new hospital?

Several positions need to be filled at the current and future hospital, including clinical, support services, administration, and more! For more info and a list of job opportunities, download the MMH employment flyer. Or, go to NH Careers to search for current openings.

Learn more!

There are a couple of ways you can find out more about this exciting project:

• Go to letstalk.northernhealth.ca/MMH – it’s your one-stop shop for everything related to the Mills Memorial Hospital Replacement project. The site features regular project updates, a link to the construction camera, and more.
• Email letstalkMMH@northernhealth.ca with your questions and comments. We’re always happy to hear from you!

The new hospital currently nearing completion in Terrace has received three major new pieces of equipment that will help provide excellent care closer to home for people in the Northwest.

A new CT scanner was delivered at the end of May, a SPECT-CT machine arrived in June, and a new MRI arrived from Germany on July 22.

“All three machines represent the latest technology to provide patients in the Northwest with the most advanced imaging without having to travel to a larger centre,” said Marina Downs, Diagnostic Imaging Manager, Mills Memorial. “This will support our core values to provide care closest to home.”

“SPECT and MRI are regional services that Mills provides,” she added. “We support the whole Northwest for these two services. CT is pretty common now; for example, Prince Rupert has one and Smithers has one. Terrace does still support a large amount of regional patients for CT.”

The combined value of the three new state-of-the-art machines, which replace older equipment that was approaching the end of its life, is just under $5 million. The machines were funded as part of the overall hospital project by the North West Regional Hospital District, and by the BC Ministry of Health through Northern Health.

The new CT scanner is shown inside the new hospital, complete with a virtual skylight to help
patients feel more relaxed while being scanned.

More about the new equipment:

• CT scanner:
  • CT stands for “computed tomography,” which is a way of making 3D images of the inside of the human body.
  • CT scanners use X-rays to create detailed cross-sectional images of the body, providing information about bone structures, soft tissues, and blood vessels.
• SPECT-CT:
  • SPECT-CT machines combine two types of scans: single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and computed tomography (CT), creating highly defined 3D images of the inside of the body.
  • This type of machine provides functional information that other imaging options can’t provide. SPECT-CTs are especially useful for detecting abnormal or cancerous cells and assessing musculoskeletal issues.
• MRI:
  • MRI stands for “magnetic resonance imaging.”
  • MRI machines use a strong magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of our bodies’ internal structures. They excel at giving us images of soft tissues, organs, and the brain.
  • Terrace’s new MRI machine can scan a patient’s whole body, including capturing from 100 to 100,000 images per study.

“Regional operation teams assessed the benefits of replacing the machines now to reduce any impact to regional patients and determined that it made more sense to get the new machines now,” said Marina. “For example, there would be replacement costs to install a new MRI machine because they’re large and complex, including some construction. To install new machines now means we can seamlessly move from our old hospital to the new hospital with only limited downtime.”

The space for the new MRI machine during construction. Michael King, Construction Manager at PCL, explained in a recent LinkedIn post that these machines must be installed in a copper-lined room to protect against magnetic interference.

The MRI machine arrives in its new home (which also features a virtual skylight) on July 22. “Planning for the installation of an MRI machine is a meticulous process,” said Michael King, Construction Manager at PCL.

A recent Terrace Standard newspaper article, published on April 27, stated that Northern Health has decided the name of the new hospital “will not be the one of the current facility – Mills Memorial Hospital.” This is incorrect. No decision about the name of the new hospital has yet been made. Northern Health is still in the process of working through the naming of the new hospital.

We understand there are strong feelings about the name of the existing Terrace hospital (Mills Memorial) and what the name might be for the new hospital. We are committed to listening to people who have an interest in the name. We are also committed to recognizing the traditional territory on which the hospital is located, recognizing the people of the region the hospital will serve, and acknowledging the history of the old hospital in the new hospital.

As we work through the naming of the new hospital, Northern Health will continue discussions with the Kitsumkalum and Kitselas First Nations, and community partners. There will also be opportunity for people to share their perspectives

Stay tuned. We will share more info as it becomes available.