A new nine-floor acute care tower at Richmond Hospital will be larger than first envisioned two years ago, with several hundred million dollars added to the original budget, according to Premier John Horgan.
It will include a "right-sized" emergency department - which sees about 60,000 patients a year - a pharmacy and expanded pediatric and mental-health services.
The emergency department will be twice its current size and will include an intensive care unit, a medical imaging department and the pharmacy.
The south tower will also be renovated to create a new in-patient psychiatric emergency unit.
"During the business planning stage, it became clear that the fast-growing community of Richmond needs a bigger patient care tower with more services," said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, in a press release.
Horgan made the announcement about the expanded hospital plan on Thursday morning.
The tower was originally announced two years ago, and the business case and the final budget is expected in September.Â
After this, there will be a call for bids - the new tower is expected to be built by 2024.
Horgan told the Richmond News the expanded plan will result in fewer disruptions during construction than first anticipated.
The Richmond Hospital Foundation has been fundraising with a goal of $50 million for the hospital, and they are now at 88 per cent of their goal, according to Natalie Meixner, the foundation’s president and CEO.
