NWT’S LARGEST INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT
By Anna Guy
Patients from Yellowknife, as well as every other region of the NWT and the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, will soon have an exciting new and improved hospital campus.
The old hospital, currently referred to as Legacy Stanton, was beginning to show its age. Named after Dr. Oliver Stanton, the existing hospital has evolved significantly since it opened its doors in 1988. At 30 years since it was constructed, not only did some of the infrastructure need upgrading, but it was no longer able to adequately serve the growing population in the region.
On October 8th, 2015, the first shovel dug into the ground for the new, state-of-the-art Stanton Territorial Hospital, the largest infrastructure project in the NWT’s history. Far from Dr. Stanton’s humble beginning, the hospital will be a tertiary-level facility, the result of public and private sector collaboration to provide health care for future generations of residents.
Gloria Badari is Executive Director, Stanton Territorial Hospital Renewal at Northwest Territories Health and Socials Services Authority. Badari is leading the Authority Team in a P3 project from clinical design to First Patient Day for the new Territorial Hospital, and was pleased to describe the details of the new project to Business Elite Canada.
“The new facility and the redeveloping and repurposing of the existing facility will provide health care and diagnostic services for the NWT and the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut—approximately 50,000 people,” says Badari.
Being built by the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) in partnership with Boreal Health Partnership (BHP), the $350-million facility is based on the most current hospital standards and will provide 100 single-patient rooms. The legacy building will house an additional 90 extended and long-term care beds.
“The existing hospital health care service really meets our government’s philosophy of that property becoming a real ‘campus of care’,” says Badari.
When the new project is completed in 2019, residents will enjoy a 280,000 square-foot facility with larger emergency department and medical laboratory; additional space for diagnostic imaging and improved medical technology to modernize hospital operations. It will also have additional space for ambulatory care including specialist clinics, medical day care and dialysis; and more space for support services such as sterile reprocessing and biomedical engineering.
P3 approach
The GNWT conducted an in-depth business case demonstrated that a P3 procurement model would provide significantly better value-for-money compared to a traditional procurement and delivery process. Boreal Health Partnership was chosen as the private partner consortium selected to design, build and partially finance the Stanton Territorial Hospital and maintain it for 30 years. “Major benefits for a P3 is that Boreal Health Partnership will be assuming the upfront cost and risk while GNWT retains full ownership,” says Badari.
Badari adds that the new facility was designed to meet population growth needs into the year 2050. “The campus has been designed with the latest standards in infection control in mind, as well as the creating a healthy work environment for the staff,” says Badari. “There have been significant advances in patient care, medicine and service delivery across the NWT since the original facility was built. The new hospital incorporates these, allowing us to improve patient care quite dramatically.”
Bringing the North inside
“It is important that we bring the Northern culture into the hospital for the comfort of patients and their families,” says Badari. Great care was taken to consult with representatives from across the NWT to ensure the cultural needs of the population are met., This has resulted in an interior design that has incorporated northern animals, colours, geography, along with northern menus In a particularly warm touch, each floor in the new building is coded by animal, colour, and topography, to help visitors quickly orientate themselves. For example, Level 1, is represented by aurora borealis, the colour dark green, and the polar bear; level 2, a river, light green, and the moose.
Business Elite Canada will catch up with Badari later next year to commemorate the hospital’s opening. Until then, the Stanton Territorial Hospital project forges ahead ensuring that the hospital runs at full steam on First Patient Day, onward. Adds Badari, “the new Stanton Territorial Hospital will better meet the future health care needs of the NWT for decades to come.”
