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Province approves next step towards a new LGH acute care facility
A new acute care facility for Lions Gate Hospital is moving forward with provincial government approval of the business plan, which includes a six-storey tower with 108 single-patient rooms and expanded surgical services.
After acknowledging the unceded homelands of the Coast Salish Peoples, North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA Bowinn Ma introduced the Health Minister Adrian Dix to a crowd of Vancouver Coastal Health leadership, redevelopment project team members, physicians, staff and the media gathered on the Lions Gate Hospital campus.
“People on the North Shore are looking forward to this long-overdue acute care tower, and it’s great that shovels will go in the ground shortly,” said the North Shore MLA. “I thank everyone who has worked so hard on this project, including our many community partners. A special recognition goes to the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation for its tremendous fundraising efforts. Without them, this project would be only a dream.”
A new acute care building at Lions Gate Hospital is required to better support the health-care needs of patients living on the North Shore and meet current seismic standards. Having served the community since it opened in 1961, the south acute tower has outdated and obsolete patient care delivery areas.
“With the approval of the business plan, we are now officially moving forward with the new acute care tower at Lions Gate Hospital, so residents on the North Shore can access state-of the-art, quality public health care," said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “I know community members have advocated for years for this to happen, and our government is proud to take this next big step."
“We're thrilled that the province has approved the next phase of development at Lions Gate Hospital and supports our vision for a modern, patient-centred acute care facility," said Karin Olson, Chief Operating Officer for the VCH Coastal Community of Care. “This will transform the future of care at Lions Gate. Once built, the new facility will serve as the hub for services for people on the North Shore and throughout our coastal region and help VCH continue to deliver the highest quality care possible."
The new acute care building will be located on the site of the hospital's former Activation Building, which was demolished in spring 2017. The estimated cost of the new acute care building is $166 million, with funding provided by government through Vancouver Coastal Health and a fundraising campaign by Lions Gate Hospital Foundation.
A separate $26 million project to replace the hospital's 1961 power plant on the Lions Gate Hospital site is also underway.
In 2015, the foundation received a $25 million gift from North Shore resident and local entrepreneur Paul Myers to support the future development of Lions Gate Hospital. In recognition of Myers' gift, the hospital's south acute tower was named the Paul Myers Tower in his honour.
“We’ve had a magnificent community-wide response to our appeal to raise $100 million, and in just over 18 months we have raised $92 million. This is a desperately needed facility and we are delighted that the project is now moving forward to the next phase," said Judy Savage, President and CEO of the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation.
