Shovels hit the ground as construction of the new Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace gets underway

A look at the Construction site for the new Mills Memorial
Hospital in Terrace, on Tuesday the Health Minister announced
the start for the construction timeline for the new facility
(photo from BC Gov't)

Northwest residents can now see some tangible progress on the long planned construction of a new hospital for the Terrace area, with the provincial government announcing the start of construction for the New Mills Memorial Hospital on Tuesday.

In a statement released by Health Minister Adrian Dix the scope of the 622.6 million dollar project was outlined with the Health Minister noting of the milestone.

“This is an exciting time for people in Terrace and the region, as work is getting going on a state-of-the-art hospital. There has been a lot of talk about a new hospital in Terrace, going back to 2010 when the request was originally made to replace the facility. I’m proud that our government recognized the need and took action, getting us to this important milestone.”

Once complete, the 78 bed hospital will be more than twice the size of the current facility and will feature private rooms. The emergency department at the New Mills Memorial will double in size from 10 treatment spaces to 20 and there will be two trauma bars as well as six stretcher bays.

The new hospital will also feature four operating rooms and the latest in diagnostic imaging equipment.

The new Mills Memorial Hospital will serve as the northwest region’s level-three trauma and inpatient surgery centre, providing immediate assessment, resuscitation, surgery and intensive care for injured patients. Currently, the hospital is a level-four trauma centre, meaning many patients are stabilized on site, then must be transported elsewhere.

Colleen Nyce, the chair of the Northern Health Board observed as to how the new facility will add to the health care options in the entire Northwest.

“This project is an important investment for the entire region of northwestern B.C. When we build new facilities, it strengthens our network of services. A new facility enables improvements in health services, not just in the community it is built, but in the entire area. This new hospital is good news for all the residents of northwestern B.C. and the physicians and staff who provide care here too.”

When the new facility goes into operation, Northern Health will work collaboratively with local and regional First Nations to ensure the hospital is culturally safe and welcoming. Part of this work has been the creation of an Indigenous advisory working group, which will continue throughout the life of the project and give input into the new facility. 

Another element of the new build will bring some long desired improvements toward care for those with mental health concerns.

Those services in the Northwest will be brought up to modern standards through a new and larger footprint for the Seven Sisters mental health facility being built on the hospital grounds.

That facility will see 25 beds in place at the new building, an increase from 20. The new hospital will also see an improvement in mental-health services, with 20 of the 78 beds dedicated to adult inpatient psychiatric care. 

The New Mills Memorial is being designed and built by PCL Construction West Coast Inc. and will be located at the north end of the current hospital grounds with the facility to be ready to welcome patients sometime in 2025, the existing facility will then be demolished with the current space to be turned into parking spaces.

The financing of the facility is a three way partnership between the provincial government, Northern Health and the North West Regional Hospital District, which will be contributing 110.2 million of the total cost.

Residents of the Northwest can see how their contribution works through their 2021 property tax bills with the NorthWest Regional Hospital District funding collected through municipal tax rolls.

You can review the full announcement from the province here.

More notes on health care across the Northwest can be explored from our archive pages here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.