The design-build agreement for the new Stuart Lake Hospital in Fort St James has been signed.
Northern Health named Graham Design Builders LP as the developer for the project back in March.
The facility is expected to be three times larger than the current hospital, and will have 27 beds, 18 of which will be long term care beds.
The emergency department will be expanded with two treatment rooms, a trauma bay and ambulance bay, and there will also be a laboratory and diagnostic imaging in the facility.
“People in Fort St. James and the surrounding communities will soon see shovels go in the ground for a state-of-the-art hospital, which is very exciting,” said Minister of Health Adrian Dix.
“Local residents have been waiting for years to see their hospital replaced and our government took action to make it happen.”
Construction on the hospital is expected to create 450 direct jobs, and 300 indirect jobs, and work is expected to begin in May, with a completion date set for some time in 2024.
Project costs are estimated around $158 million, which is being shared by the the province and the Stuart Nechako Regional Hospital District.
The current hospital was opened back in 1972.
“This investment means that residents can count on local access to high-quality primary care, emergency and diagnostic services well into the future, decreasing the need for medical travel and relieving the burden on neighbouring communities,” said Jerry Petersen, Chair for the Stuart Nechako Regional Hospital District.
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