After nearly seven years of constant construction at the Sturgeon Community Hospital, projects are finally winding to a close.
The bulk of construction is expected to be complete by the end of the month, with the main entrance opening its doors on June 25, says site director Wendy Tanaka-Collins, site director.
“Like the community, we’re very much looking forward to the construction being finished,” she said. “I think it will improve the access for the public, visitors and for patient drop-off.”
The most recent development carries a price tag of $43.4 million and began in 2008. It included a complete overhaul of the emergency department and main entrance.
“I’ll be grateful when it’s all done,” said patient Denise Leclair. “It’s always annoying when you can’t find parking and you have to drive around, but it really needs to be done. This is a good hospital.”
Diane Szoke agreed, adding it’s easy to overlook the construction when receiving “top-notch” care at the hospital.
She was transported to the hospital by ambulance and said she was “happy” she was brought to the Sturgeon.
An expanded parking area is under construction directly in front of the main entrance. This portion is expected to be complete in the fall, with construction continuing throughout the summer, Tanaka-Collins said.
There will be between 50 and 60 additional stalls created, with a patient pick-up and drop-off area located directly in front of the main entrance.
“I’m really excited that there’s going to be that new parking lot in front of the main entrance area,” she said. “We’re also looking forward to perhaps a time when there won’t be so much disruption.”
The new parking stalls aren’t good enough for one hospital user, who said the cost of parking is too high and many people simply can’t afford it.
“I don’t have $8 a day for parking,” said the man, who didn’t want his name published. “I’m on AISH (Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped) and I’m a caregiver. I can’t afford it.”
The man also expressed concern over the time it has taken to renovate the hospital.
“I’ve been watching this for nine months already,” he said. “If this was a private contractor, this would have been finished three years ago.”
Tanaka-Collins said there are plans for further expansion but no additional projects have been approved and there’s no timeline for construction.
Annual reviews take place to determine which projects are granted approval, she said.
“Although it seems that this has been under construction for quite some time, there’s been numerous projects over the years that have been underway here and we’re really looking forward to the completion,” she said.
Construction began in 2005 with the adjacent health services building, which houses several offices and various community services. Its completion was followed by renovations to several medical units, a complete redesign of the emergency room and finally, the main entrance.
“The original emergency department, in the old days, was built for 25,000 visits. We now see 47,000 visits a year and the new department just provides that ability to see more patients,” Tanaka-Collins said.
She said there is still minor construction in progress in the emergency room, which is expected to wrap up by the end of the month. This will not affect patients in any way, she said.
