The new Stuart Lake Hospital replacement project in Fort St. James is expected to be substantially complete on Oct. 8, 2024. The facility will replace the outdated hospital, combining primary, acute and long-term care in one location. It will house 27 beds, with 18 long-term care and nine acute care beds.

“With the substantial completion of the facility, people will be one step closer to an expanded emergency department, improved diagnostic imaging services and better access to primary care in their community,” said Minister of Health Adrian Dix. “This investment will also provide health-care professionals with the space and technology they need to provide more cutting-edge care. Reaching this significant milestone will ensure people in the North have access to the care they need close to home, now and well into the future.”

The new facility will be three times larger than the current hospital with an expanded emergency department with two treatment rooms, a trauma bay and an ambulance bay. In addition, a larger laboratory and diagnostic imaging (X-ray) and palliative-care spaces will benefit patients and staff.

The primary-care centre within the facility will be integrated with the hospital and long-term care services. Primary-care services will include physicians, visiting specialists, substance-use supports, public health, and home and community care.

Patients will start receiving care in the new facility when it opens in January 2025. Demolition of the current hospital is anticipated to begin early in 2025, with full completion of the project expected in September 2025.

The new Stuart Lake Hospital replacement project is Infrastructure B.C.’s first progressive design-build contract, and the hospital is being constructed for the Northern Health Authority by Graham Construction.

The total capital cost of the project is $158.3 million, funded by the province through Northern Health, and an $18.4-million contribution from the Stuart-Nechako Regional Hospital District.