BACKGROUNDER
2008HEALTH0027-000409 March 26, 2008	Ministry of Health Fraser Health
CARELIFE FLEETWOOD RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITY

The new CareLife Fleetwood 191-bed residential care facility provides many amenities that were unheard of years ago in the world of seniors’ residential care.

 

Attention has been paid to many details, all in an effort to ensure seniors receive the best care in the best environment possible.

 

While the building is large by modern standards, attention has been paid to the importance of keeping a human scale for everyday living. Most of the residents will have their own private rooms, complete with ceiling lift-equipped, wheelchair-accessible washrooms. Those private rooms will be within nine “houses” making up four neighbourhoods that are served by separate living and dining rooms.

 

Access to the outdoors is to secure interior courtyards, with gas barbeques for outdoor dining, water fountains and gazebos. One of the courtyards features a greenhouse for plant and flower cultivation. Within each courtyard are secure walking loops for residents in special care.

 

The $38-million facility was built by Lark Construction and is being leased to Fraser Health at a rate set for 20 years. There is a $13.3-million annual budget allocated for the 256 regular and casual staff and other operating costs.

 

The opening also paves the way for Fraser Health’s Surrey Health Services Capacity Initiative, part of which will be built on land currently occupied by the Dainard and Barham residential care pavilions from which Fleetwood’s residents will be moving in the coming days. The initiative is designed to create new capacity at Surrey Memorial Hospital through the construction of a new emergency centre, a new outpatient facility, three new ICU beds, more renal stations and additional acute care beds.

 

Other internal capacity projects include an ICU expansion (an increase of three ICU beds, bringing SMH’s total to 15 ICU beds), and the addition of 62 beds. The purpose of SHSCI was to reduce congestion at Surrey Memorial Hospital and create service capacity. Other components of SHSCI include a new emergency department, a regional tertiary perinatal program located above the new emergency department, and the new outpatient facility in Green Timbers Park.

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Media contact:	Sarah Plank Manager of Media Relations Ministry of Health 250 480-6678 (cell) 250 952-1887 (media line)	Fraser Health Media Pager 604 450-7881
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