RENOVATION FOR RICHMOND PERINATAL UNIT GETS GREEN LIGHT

RICHMOND – New beds in the maternity and neonatal intensive care units will be added to Richmond Hospital as part of a $6.7-million renovation project that will improve the quality of care for maternity patients and newborn babies, announced Health Minister George Abbott today.

“Increasing the number of maternity beds to 17 from 15 and doubling the number of intensive care beds from three to six means more infants will get the specialized care they need,” said Abbott. “The planned improvements to the labour, delivery and recovery spaces at Richmond Hospital reflect best practices and will support physicians and nurses in providing quality care.”

The renovation includes demolition of the existing maternity unit and the redevelopment of a single room maternity care concept including 17 beds, up from 15 beds, an enhanced operating room suite, and mechanical and electrical upgrades. All 17 beds will be birthing rooms. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) will also expand, doubling the amount of beds to six, to accommodate more babies who require specialized care.

“These upgrades will ensure that children born in Richmond have the very best care available, and the healthiest possible start to their lives,” said Richmond East MLA Linda Reid.

The renovations to the perinatal unit at Richmond Hospital will support the delivery of an additional 300 babies and the establishment of a single room maternity care model. In 2006/07, there were 1,078 babies delivered at Richmond Hospital.

“Parents and families in Richmond deserve the comfort and peace of mind of having top-quality perinatal care available here in our community,” said Richmond Centre MLA Olga Ilich.

Construction on the renovation is set to begin in November 2007 and will be completed in approximately 12 months. Maternity and the NICU will continue at full operation throughout the duration of the project.

“This expansion is an example of our government’s commitment to continually building upon the health services here in Richmond. We are making record investments in health care for the benefit of British Columbians,” said John Yap, MLA for Richmond-Steveston.

“The new, renovated unit will allow us to focus on family-centred care,” said Barb Stoddard, program manager for Maternal and Child Care Programs. “It will allow mothers and families to stay in the same private room, with no transfers for labour or delivery, and it will also add accommodation so that parents can support their newborns during this critical time of their life.”

The Richmond Hospital Foundation is contributing $900,000 to the $6.7 million cost of this project.

“We are proud to support this project, which aims to provide quality care for new mothers and babies within the community of Richmond,” said Lisa Westermark, executive director. “Our contribution includes a generous grant from Variety – the Children’s Charity, a charity with a long history of supporting children with special needs.”

British Columbia's health system will benefit from more investments like this over the next three years as part of the Province’s $2.7-billion health sector capital plan.

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1 backgrounder(s) attached.
Media contact:	Marisa Adair Communications Director Ministry of Health 250 920-8500 (cell) 250 952-1887 (media line)	Viviana Zanocco Senior Media Relations Officer Vancouver Coastal Health 604 708-5282

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