Download a pdf of the November 2022 Quarterly Project Update.

WHERE WE'RE AT

Construction advancing steadily

Cranes removed

Over four days at the start of October, the two tower cranes on the Mills Memorial Hospital (MMH) construction site were dismantled and removed. The two cranes were initially erected last summer to move heavy equipment and materials. With the structural bulk of the new hospital complete, smaller mobile cranes or teleporters, which are forklifts with an extending boom, will be used to move materials to upper floor locations.

Workers installing exterior insulation and siding on west side of new hospitalPreparing for winter and work inside

Construction of the new hospital remains on schedule. While timeline adjustments due to labour and supply channel disruptions are always a possibility, to date the Mills Memorial Hospital Replacement project has not been affected.

Workers continue to install insulation and siding on the exterior of the building and the shell of the new facility should be complete by the end of the year. With the shell in place, work can continue inside the building throughout the winter. Some work is already happening inside the building such as mechanical and electrical work, and placement and installation of boilers, air handling units, and steel studs in various departments on the first two floors. Various pieces of equipment also continue to be delivered and installed as they arrive.

More workers on site

The total number of workers on site varies depending on the specific work requirements at any give time. Throughout the past few months, the number of workers on site has increased significantly, from fewer than 200 to more than 250 workers. Over the course of the project, over 80 regional businesses have also secured contracts and supplied goods or services to the project with many continuing to service and supply the project.

New Seven Sisters Underway

Construction of the new Seven Sisters has begun and is expected to be complete by the end of 2023. The foundation for the new facility is underway and concrete pours are beginning this month.

Start of new Seven Sisters foundationSeven Sisters is a regional mental-health facility that provides long-term rehabilitation and recovery programs for adults living with serious and persistent mental illness. The redevelopment will allow more people to receive care in a larger space with additional amenities. The new Seven Sisters will be nearly twice as big as the existing building and include 25 beds, which is an increase from the current 20. The new facility will also add treatment rooms, meeting spaces and recreational facilities. Patients will have access to abundant natural light and outdoor space.

Both the new Seven Sisters and the new hospital are being built on the same site as the existing facilities. The new Seven Sisters will be on the southwestern corner of the site to the left of the existing hospital's main entrance.

Farewell Sleeping Beauty

The Sleeping Beauty building is no more. The building was demolished earlier this month to make room for the new Mills Memorial hospital and parking at the future facility. While it’s sad to say goodbye to a building with such rich history, it’s exciting to make way for the new hospital.

Sleeping Beauty was originally built in 1961. Over its lifetime, the building has had many purposes, including being a nurses' residence and a place for visiting specialists and expectant mothers. For many years, it was home to Terrace's pediatric services. Soon after construction of the new hospital began, pediatric services moved to the Park Avenue medical clinic. In the future, pediatric services will move to the Keith Avenue mall, across the street from the new hospital. In the last few months, Sleeping Beauty served as an office for PCL, the main contractor designing and building the new hospital.

WHERE WE'RE GOING

The construction and design of the new hospital and Seven Sisters are still an important focus of the Mills Memorial Replacement project. However, we are also ramping up planning and work around patient care and operations at the new facilities.

Transition Coordinator hired

GAnne Chisholm,
Transition Coordinatoretting the facility ready for patient use includes preparing physical space, equipment, and technology. But people need to be ready too. New space and technology mean new ways of working for staff, physicians, and managers who need to be supported with training and development to provide care and service with the new workflows, new equipment and new technologies. Patients and families and the broader community will also need to be supported to get to know the new hospital.

Anne Chisholm has joined the project to help coordinate and support staff, physicians, and managers to become ready to provide care, services and supports in the new hospital and Seven Sisters. She has over 35 years of experience in health care, first as a staff nurse followed by many years of management and leadership work in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and British Columbia. Two of her recent projects include the establishment of the Primary Care Medical Unit at UHNBC and the Urgent Care Centre in Prince George. Anne is excited by challenges and successes that come with working collaboratively to solve problems. She will quickly become a familiar face around the hospital. Say hello when you see her!

More supports

• A Recruitment and Retention Ambassador position specifically for Northwest BC has been created. The role will play a big part in recruitment efforts for the new facilities in Terrace.
• A Physician Lead position, who will help with the transition and recruitment of physicians for the new facilities, is in development.
• A company that specializes in healthcare facility transitions will support the physical move from the current hospital to the new one.