Patients across the South Okanagan are one step closer to having modernized patient care with the successful completion of the construction phase of the David E. Kampe Tower at Penticton Regional Hospital.
EllisDon Infrastructure presented Interior Health with the keys to the David E. Kampe Tower on Dec. 15, signifying the substantial completion of the tower.
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“This is great news as we are nearing the opening of the David E. Kampe Tower in Penticton, a facility which will significantly enhance care for patients in the South Okanagan,” said Health Minister Adrian Dix. “I’m so proud of everyone — from construction workers to community members — who have worked so hard on this facility, which will offer quality patient care across the region for years to come.”
Interior Health employees, physicians and volunteers will now start going through building orientation and training. New equipment, computers and furniture will be installed over the coming months, in preparation for the hospital to be open for patients in late April, 2019.
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“When we open the doors of this fantastic facility this spring, we know that our patients and their families will see this is one of the best places to receive care in B.C,” said Interior Health board chair Doug Cochrane. “On behalf of Interior Health, I would like to congratulate all of our partners at EllisDon Infrastructure on delivering this beautiful, modern building.”
“We’re excited to see the David E. Kampe Tower project hit this stage in of construction,” added Carl Meadows, Acute Health Service administrator at Penticton Regional Hospital. “Our staff and physicians do an exceptional job caring for patients. We are all looking forward to late April when we can welcome the public into this hospital tower and continue to provide world-class care in a modern environment.”
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The David E. Kampe Tower at Penticton Regional Hospital is a six-storey tower that will bring Penticton Regional Hospital up to a modern standard of care.
The new tower includes ambulatory care, surgical services, 84 inpatient beds in single-patient rooms, a new medical device reprocessing unit, space for the UBC Faculty of Medicine and a roof-top heliport.
“We’re thrilled that the David E. Kampe Tower has met this significant milestone,” said Petra Veintimilla, chair of the Okanagan Similkameen Regional Hospital District. “This hospital will enhance the care patients are receiving in Penticton and across the South Okanagan Similkameen region.”
EllisDon Infrastructure was selected by Interior Health in 2016 to design, build, partially finance and maintain the new David E. Kampe Tower. EllisDon Facilities Services Inc. will provide facilities maintenance services at PRH for a 30-year period.
“This milestone marks an important step in the long-term partnership between EllisDon and Interior Health,” said Ben Deeley, Vice-President, EllisDon Capital. “This is the end of the first phase of construction, and the beginning of a 30-year partnership that will see the residents of Penticton and the South Okanagan receive care in a state-of-the-art, well-maintained facility.”
The $312-million David E. Kampe Tower project is funded by the province ($161-million), Interior Health ($14-million), the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional Hospital District ($117-million) and the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation ($20-million).
The South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation has been running a successful fundraising campaign since 2015 and is nearing its goal of $20 million, which will go towards the purchase of equipment in the David E. Kampe Tower.
“The support we have received from individuals across the South Okanagan Similkameen has been exceptional,” said Carey Bornn, executive director of the SOS Medical Foundation. “Reaching this milestone in our tower campaign gives us even more motivation to go out and raise money for this vital project to support health-care in the region.”
Once the David E. Kampe Tower is open, Phase 2 renovations will commence to the existing hospital to allow for an expanded emergency department plus renovations to the pharmacy and material stores.
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