NEWS RELEASE |
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NEW CARE CENTRE TO IMPROVE PATIENT SERVICES
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VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority will enter into a public-private partnership to build an innovative new care centre that will improve patient services, while enhancing training for medical students.
The Academic Ambulatory Care Centre, to be built on the Vancouver General Hospital site, was announced today by Premier Gordon Campbell, Ida Goodreau, president and CEO of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, and Dr. John Cairns, dean of the University of B.C.’s faculty of medicine.
While public-private partnerships (P3s) already exist in the management of long-term care homes, this will be the province’s first P3 project involving the construction and operation of a large, integrated health care facility.
“We made a New Era commitment to focus health resources on meeting the needs of patients,” said Campbell. “As part of fulfilling that commitment, we need to develop innovative ways of building and managing facilities to make the most of every health-care dollar we spend. P3s are a way that we can provide improved publicly-funded and accessible services, while efficiently managing resources so those dollars can meet a wider range of patient needs.”
At present, ambulatory or “walk-in” patient care services at VGH are provided by various medical disciplines at different locations. (Ambulatory care refers to outpatient services, involving patients who come in for tests or treatment but do not stay at the hospital).
The new facility will coordinate ambulatory patient care services – including associated speciality clinics, along with medical education, physician practice offices, research and related commercial/retail activities – at one site. It will also accommodate teaching functions in a clinical setting, with lecture and seminar rooms, a library and clinical teaching rooms integrated with specialized hospital clinics and private specialist offices.
The centre is expected to support several hundred medical students, over 580 medical and allied professionals, and an estimated 600,000 patient visits annually.
By centralizing several medical disciplines, the facility will enhance patient care, access and scheduling by allowing the coordination of multiple specialists visits, clinic visits and diagnostic testing for patients at one location. In addition, medical students will benefit from increased interaction between academics, researchers and practising clinicians.
“VCHA is extremely excited about the possibilities inherent in having a care centre that consolidates many health professionals on one site,” Goodreau said. “This is a progressive step forward in providing the kind of integrated health services that our community needs and wants.”
“The interaction between specialities and between disciplines will be enhanced by this project,” said Cairns. “This will result in better access to services for the public we serve at a time when plans are in place to double the enrolment in our medical school.”
The P3 includes UBC’s faculty of medicine, as well as the Ministry of Health Services and Partnerships British Columbia. The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority completed an extensive business case process to determine the feasibility of a P3 venture for the new centre. An invitation for a request for expressions of interest will be released within the next few days.
It is anticipated that the successful private-sector partner will assume responsibility for the financing, design, construction and operation of the building, while the health authority and the UBC faculty of medicine will ensure that services within the centre provide appropriate teaching and clinical services.
The new building, which will replace several older buildings scheduled for demolition, will be located on the corner of Oak Street and West 12th Avenue. It is expected to be complete in the spring of 2005 at an estimated capital cost of $90 million. The Vancouver General Hospital site has rezoning approval for the centre.
The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority is responsible for delivering around $1.9 billion in acute, residential and community care to over one million people in communities from Richmond through Vancouver, the North Shore, the Sunshine Coast, the Sea to Sky area, Powell River, Bella Bella and Bella Coola.
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Visit the province's Web site at http://www.gov.bc.ca/ for online information and services. |
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contact: |
Communications & Public Affairs Vancouver Coastal Health Authority 604 708-5280 |
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