NANAIMO – The Nanaimo Regional Hospital District (NRHD) is pleased with the Province of British Columbia’s announcement that the new 12-bed intensive care unit (ICU) currently under construction at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) has been expanded to include a new 12-bed high acuity unit (HAU).
The cost of the HAU will be $18.5 million, with the NRHD contributing $7.4 million of the total project cost.
Island Health will pool all sources of funding to build and maintain the new HAU. The ICU is expected to be open for patients in June 2023 and the HAU has a targeted opening date of September 2024.
“The 12-bed high acuity unit is a critical addition to our hospital and will provide our residents with an essential level of care in a state-of-the-art facility,” said Ian Thorpe, Chair, Nanaimo Regional Hospital District. “We are grateful for the Province’s support and are proud to be a funding partner on a project which will improve healthcare access in our region and across the Central and North Island.”
High Acuity Units are a standard of care in most major centres. They provide an intermediate level of care for patients with requirements between that of the general ward and the ICUs. Without this level of care, patients are managed in ICUs, thereby reducing ICU capacity, or they remain on general wards where it is difficult to meet their care requirements.
The new HAU will provide NRGH staff with the dedicated space and specialized equipment they need to deliver this intermediate care.
The NRHD continues to advocate for four other major capital healthcare projects that are urgently needed in our region; the patient tower replacement, new cancer centre and cardiac catheterization lab, all to be located at NRGH, and a long-term care facility in the region.
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