Interior Health expects construction for the Ambulatory Care and Pharmacy upgrades in Trail to start next year. A Request for Proposals has now been released to secure a consultant for the detailed design of the project. It’s expected the contract will be awarded in April and a contractor secured for construction at the end of the design phase.
The over $38-million project will see many changes coming to the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH). That includes the new ambulatory care wing built above the expanded emergency department. Ambulatory care includes procedures for outpatients, such as endoscopies and cystoscopies, and other minor surgical procedures. Improvements will be made to the existing ambulatory care space to accommodate outpatient examination rooms, booking offices and telehealth service. The cast clinic will also be upgraded.
The medical records office will be relocated to the basement to allow for an expanded oncology unit and relocated physiotherapy department. The pharmacy is expected to triple in size. The area will also be renovated to provide staff with an upgraded work environment, including better-ventilated spaces to prepare sterile hazardous and non-hazardous chemical products.
Construction is expected to last until sometime in 2023. The provincial government is committing $23.3 million and the West Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital District approved a $15.5-million contribution to the project on March 6.
