$166-million expansion of North Vancouver's Lions Gate Hospital approved

$166-million expansion of Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver approved

Artistic rendering of the new acute care building at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver. (Vancouver Coastal Health)

The provincial government announced today it is moving ahead with the $166-million plan to build a new acute care building for Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver.

Lions Gate Hospital currently has 268 beds, seven operating rooms, and a number of diagnostic services, and the planned expansion will create 108 new beds, eight new operating rooms, and a medical-device reprocessing department.

This provides more single-occupancy rooms for patients to increase comfort and reduce the likelihood of infections, and it will also expand surgical services.

Model of the new acute care building at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver. (Vancouver Coastal Health)

Artistic rendering of the new acute care building at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver. (Vancouver Coastal Health)

The new six-storey, 200,000-sq-ft building will be constructed on the former site of the hospital’s 1929-built Activation Building, which was demolished last year. It replaces the functions of the outdated and antiquated facilities of the 1961-built south acute tower.

“With the approval of the business plan, we are now officially moving forward with the new acute care tower at Lions Gate Hospital, so residents on the North Shore can access state-of-the-art, quality public health care,” said Adrian Dix, BC Minister of Health, in a statement.

“I know community members have advocated for years for this to happen, and our government is proud to take this next big step.”

Artistic rendering of the new acute care building at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver. (Vancouver Coastal Health)

Funding for the construction of the new hospital is being covered by Vancouver Coastal Health and Lions Gate Hospital Foundation, which has to date raised $92 million of its $100-million fundraising goal.

“This is a desperately needed facility and we are delighted that the project is now moving forward to the next phase,” said Judy Savage, president and CEO, Lions Gate Hospital Foundation.

Other upgrades being conducted to the hospital include a $26-million project to replace the power plant built in 1961.

Artistic rendering of the new acute care building at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver. (Vancouver Coastal Health)

This is the latest hospital project to undergo a major renewal. In fact, most of the region’s major hospital facilities are set for a major renewal or expansion, including the relocation and expansion of St. Paul’s Hospital, a new patient care tower for Richmond Hospital, an expansion and upgrade of Burnaby Hospital, the reopening of Riverview Hospital, and the under-construction mental health and drug treatment centre at New Westminster’s Royal Columbian Hospital.

There are also plans to build a second new hospital for Surrey.

See also