The B.C. government has unveiled plans to move forward with a new complex care transition facility for children across the province.
The facility, which will be located in Vancouver and operated by BC Children’s Hospital, is a “first-of-its-kind” treatment centre that will create better options for children with extraordinary health needs, says the Province.
Health Minister Adrian Dix said that the new transition centre fills the gaps in “much-needed services and supports for children and young people with complex care needs.”
Dix suggests that the centre will not only create additional services for children with extraordinary health needs but complement the services that are currently being offered in acute care and other community facilities.
“While other jurisdictions in Canada offer similar services through separate programs, this will be the first centre in the country to provide such a comprehensive range of supports for children with medical complexity at a single site,” said Dix in a press release on Monday.
The B.C. Government highlights that the complex care transition centre will serve as a “stepping-stone” between acute hospital care, community care and home. The aim of the facility is to provide unique services under a new model of care designed to support patients and families amid transition – services and supports that are difficult for families to provide from home.
The Ministry of Health suggests the new campus will be “fully integrated, patient and family-centred, and provide trauma-informed care in a culturally safe environment.”
The Province also adds that the centre will support improving the quality of their lives and those of their families.
According to the government, patients up to 19 years of age and their families will be able to access health-care services ranging from assessment, examination and treatment to education, training and research.
The centre will also provide training for parents and caregivers to help with care delivery at home, as well as supports for siblings.
“Nearly 8,000 children with complex medical and physical needs have accessed BC Children’s Hospital services in the past two years, and that population is only expected to grow,” said Benoit Morin, president and CEO, Provincial Health Services Authority.
The centre will have virtual capabilities and, combined with the provincewide community-based care network, it will have the ability to extend the reach of the centre to every area of B.C.
The BC Government has indicated that the new facility will be located at the current site of the Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children, which is on schedule to relocate to the main campus of the BC Children’s and Women’s Hospitals at the end of August 2020.
The current Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children is located at 3644 Slocan St. in East Vancouver.
Graham Cox
