ADDITIONAL EXPANSION SLATED FOR KGH

Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) is the Central Okanagan’s primary acute care health facility and one of two Interior Health tertiary referral hospitals in the region that provide high-level, specialty medical care. In 2005/06, KGH provided 68,137 outpatient visits and 109,019 outpatient diagnostic procedures. These numbers are expected to continue to grow by nearly 50 per cent through 2024.

New Cardiac Care Centre

The new Cardiac Care Centre is expected to include a program for inpatient care and diagnostics, and a complete revascularization program, including open heart surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention (such as angioplasty). Projections for capital and operating costs are based on a preliminary model; they will be refined once further planning work is completed. The detailed business case for the Kelowna cardiac services program is expected to be completed in late fall 2007. The full business case will also include any future requirements of the four existing sites to ensure best practices and established standards of care are in place for cardiac revascularization services in British Columbia. The cardiac centre at Kelowna General Hospital is expected to be operational by 2012 and will be the province’s fifth cardiac critical care centre.

Two additional inpatient floors

Covering 7,740 square metres, the additional space would accommodate approximately 90 to 150 beds for future patient care needs at Kelowna General Hospital. The floors will be added to the RFP for the Kelowna and Vernon hospitals projects. The first floor will open in 2013 and the second one by 2019, based on need. Estimated cost for the additional in-patient space is $29 million under the Central Okanagan Regional Hospital District’s capital plan.

UBC Faculty of Medicine

Kelowna General Hospital will be designated as a teaching hospital with a UBC academic campus for both instruction and research. The program will be funded by the ministries of Health and Advanced Education.

New Outpatient Hospital and Expanded Emergency Department

The new KGH outpatient hospital and expanded emergency department is an approximately 16,200-square-metre facility to be located on the northeast corner of the KGH site. The project will modernize and quadruple the size of the emergency department from 630 to 2,700 square metres. The project will also consolidate outpatient services and programs currently dispersed throughout KGH into one facility, and expand the existing emergency department. Construction is expected to commence in 2008 with completion targeted for 2010.

Kelowna and Vernon Hospital Management Structure

The Kelowna and Vernon hospitals projects will be developed under a single project management structure. Construction is expected to commence in 2008, with completion targeted for 2010. All health services will be funded and provided by the public sector through Interior Health, in keeping with the Canada Health Act.

-30-


Media contact:	Mike Morton Press Secretary Office of the Premier 250 213-8218	Sarah Plank Manager, Media Relations Ministry of Health 250 480-6678
	Cam McAlpine Interior Health Communications 250 801-1741
For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.