The ball is definitely rolling towards the pending start of construction of the new patient care tower at Penticton Regional Hospital.
Now that the province has chosen EllisDon Infrastructure as its preferred private sector partner for the $325-million project, the final details are now being worked out. The next couple of months will see the actual performance-based contract finalized between the government and the company.
But who exactly is EllisDon Infrastructure? What experience do they have in hospital construction? The company was founded in London, Ont. in 1951 and now has offices across the country, including Vancouver. It even has an international office in Dubai.
EllisDon bills itself as the largest developer of new hospitals and healthcare facilities in North America. It has completed more than 400 hospital projects over the years, with a total construction value of $12 billion. Among its more recent projects in B.C. is the new critical care tower at Surrey Memorial Hospital.
Meanwhile, full details and artist renderings of EllisDon’s plans for the PRH expansion will be released after the new contract agreement is signed. The ground-breaking will take place shortly afterwards — likely in late April or early May. The new tower will be completed by 2019, after which construction will begin on Phase 2. This involves the renovation of vacated areas in the existing hospital to allow for a major expansion of the emergency department plus renovations to the pharmacy, stores and support areas. The end result will see an ER almost four times its existing size.
Fundraising update
The South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation continues to gain incredible community support for our $20-million fundraising campaign to supply all the medical equipment for the PRH expansion.
This total is included in the $325-million project budget, by the way. The bill for the remaining $305 million in actual construction costs will be split on a 60-40 basis between the province (and its private sector partner) and the Okanagan Similkameen Regional Hospital District. The regional district has been putting money aside for the past few years to reduce the amount of funding it must borrow for the project.
Of course, everyone wants to know where the Foundation currently stands in our campaign. We have now raised more than $6 million in just over a year – a fantastic start, but we still have a long way to go. Stay tuned!
Donors step up
Our sincere thanks to such recent donors as Berry & Smith Trucking in Penticton, which last week announced a $30,000 donation to the PRH campaign.
Many individuals and non-profit groups have also stepped forward, including the Royal Purple in Keremeos which had executive members Marie Farren and Evelyn Pettigrew stop by our office to make a generous donation.
Kudos too, to Jo Gagne and everyone at Bodies on Power which hosted a mass fitness fundraiser, dubbed “Sole to Soul” at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre last Saturday. The energy in the hall was awesome as a number of classes in Zumba, yoga, disco, stretch and more were held over a two-and-a-half hour period.
Buried treasure
You may have occasionally noticed members of the Okanagan Treasure Hunters Club scouring Valley beaches with metal detectors in search of “buried treasure” – sometimes even in February.
The reality is they’re not out there to get rich. Instead, they direct the proceeds from their beachcombing and other fundraising efforts to charity, including $3,460 recently donated to the SOS Medical Foundation. The Treasure Hunters will also help people find lost jewelry on local beaches. They can be contacted by email at okanagantreasurehuntersclub@gmail.com.
John Moorhouse is the development and communications officer for the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation.