Official opening Tuesday at Comox Valley Hospital in Courtenay. Photo courtesy Vancouver Island Health Authority.
B.C. Premier John Horgan was in Courtenay to help officially open the Comox Valley Hospital campus on Tuesday.
The government says residents in the Mid and North Island will benefit from expanded access to health care and services, including bigger patient rooms and more surgery space.
The North Island Hospital project cost a combined $606.2 million, with the provincial government covering 60 per cent of the cost.
The Comox Strathcona Regional Hospital District paid the remaining 40 per cent.
“This hospital has been built with local people, cultures and values in mind,” Island Health vice board chair Roger Barnsley said.
“The services our staff provide reflect local community needs and deliver excellent care in a refreshed and modern setting.”
The new Comox Valley campus includes healing gardens for patients, visitors and staff.
Extra space rooms were built in the maternity ward to allow large families to be together during labour, delivery and recovery.
A fixed MRI machine is in place to handle an anticipated 60 MRI scans a week.
The North Island Hospitals Project also includes a 95-bed campus in Campbell River.
Andy Neal
