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Saanich Peninsula Hospital operating room construction starts

Partnerships ease pain
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Dignitaries gather to turn the sod to start the new operating rooms at Saanich Peninsula Hospital. Construction is expected to be complete in the summer of 2012.


Sod flew as a crew of dignitaries officially launched the $9.9 million project to upgrade operating rooms at the Saanich Peninsula Hospital.

“This much-needed upgrade solidifies Saanich Peninsula Hospital’s role as a key health care facility on Southern Vancouver Island now and in the future,” said Murray Coell, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands. “We are pleased to invest $2.8 million to upgrade the operating rooms and the electrical system at this hospital to benefit South Island patients and their families.”

The ‘pink ladies’ of the Auxiliary to the Saanich Peninsula Hospital, medical staff, donors and Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation members gathered to celebrate the culmination of a years-long fundraising campaign.

“Since our start in 2007, residents of the Saanich Peninsula have expressed tremendous support for this project,” said Lorne Jack, foundation president. “When you combine the $5.2 million contributed by the community with the additional funding provided by our partners, the result will be modern and up-to-date operating rooms in our hospital.”

The new operating suite will be accommodated in a new 690 square metre addition to the hospital, and will include three new operating rooms and an endoscopy/integrated procedure room.

“The province is moving forward on a number of fronts around Greater Victoria,” Coell said, citing the work at Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals as well as the upcoming work at SPH. “There’s a partnership here that is so important for all of us. I think at this stage in our province’s history we understand that only success is partnerships — partnership with volunteers, with foundations, with the CRD, many instances the federal government and ourselves.”

The Capital Regional Hospital District (CRHD) provided $1.8 million to the project.

“This hospital for a long time has been an absolutely key part of this community,” said Vic Derman, CRHD board member. “When you have people like the foundations providing contributions of $5 million towards the development of the new operating rooms and electrical equipment upgrade, that just stretches tax dollars way, way further out and allows us to accomplish things, that if it were up to governments alone, we would probably not accomplish.”

VIHA’s contributed $124,000 in addition to the facility’s ongoing operating costs.

“VIHA recognizes Saanich Peninsula Hospital as a unique community hospital integrated within our South Island Hospital Network,” said Don Hubbard, VIHA’s board chair. “This project will allow this hospital to meet increasing future demands and support our South Island health services.”

 

Construction of the new operating room suite will take place concurrently with normal day-to-day hospital functions and will be integrated with existing infrastructure.