With a shovel in the ground, Health Minister Adrian Dix announced that construction will soon begin on a $27.6 million emergency room expansion at Eagle Ridge Hospital — without the need to sell land on the site to pay for it.
At a press conference Friday, Dix along with Fraser Health executives, made the commitment to build the improved emergency room without having to sell two parcels of land originally slated for the development of 427 residential units.
The announcement puts to rest community concerns that rose when Fraser Health sought approval for changes to the land designation to permit a sale with funds to go towards the ERH expansion.
“We have identified the money and the project and the work is going ahead,” Dix told a crowd of donors, staff, local politicians and media.
As a result of the funding commitment, construction is expected to start soon on the project to double the number of emergency treatment spaces from 19 to 39, add four new isolation rooms for improved infection-control measures, two new trauma recitation bays, a decontamination area and alter the entrances so walk-in patients and ambulances have separate entrances.
First announced by the BC Liberals before the election in 2017, then bolstered by a potential land sale to cover most of the costs, the ERH expansion is so badly needed to accommodate a growing population that it couldn’t be held up further to reach agreement with Port Moody, Dix said.
Calling the project the “much needed and much talked about” expansion, Dix said the provincial government will invest $22.6 million with the Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation coming up with the remaining $5 million, half of which has already been raised.
Construction is expected to be complete in late 2020.
Fraser Health CEO Victoria Lee lauded the news, saying that the expansion will provide room for ER staff to do their job properly and better care for patients. For example, there will be a triage area where people will be served depending on their medical need.
She also thanked the foundation for their fundraising and the Eagle Ridge Hospital Auxiliary for contributing $250,000 toward the project.
Alison Johansen, board chair of the Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation said more than half of the funds have been raised for the project, thanks to the “overwhelming generosity” of the community. “We are excited to contribute to this important community campaign.”
Emergency room physician Dr. Michael Mostrenko said the upgrade will be a huge improvement to the emergency room and staff are thrilled to see the project proceed after many years of discussions and work.
“I’m confident you will be so proud of this department when it opens,” Dr. Mostrenko said, noting that improvements will provide an additional level of safety for the community.
Minister Dix credited Port Moody-Coquitlam MLA Rick Glumac for convincing the government to de-link the project from land sales and provide funds directly for the upgrade, with Glumac calling the money a “critical investment” in the community.
However, Dix sidestepped a question as to whether selling ERH land was off the table indefinitely, saying that governments may consider selling land, but it’s not always to the benefit if it’s sold too cheaply and is needed later, suggesting that has happened elsewhere in the past.
“You have to balance the questions off,” Dix said, acknowledging that the community wasn’t ready for the sale of ERH land to pay for the capital expansion.
