THE Province announced on Wednesday that people on the North Shore and the surrounding area are one step closer to accessing a new acute-care patient tower at Lions Gate Hospital (LGH), as the project moves forward with the selection of a preferred proponent.

“With the selection of a preferred proponent for the design-build contract, we are now one step closer to getting shovels in the ground for the new acute-care tower at LGH,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “Our government is proud to move forward on our promise to British Columbians to deliver a new tower at LGH so that residents on the North Shore can access state-of-the-art, quality public health care.”

Vancouver Coastal Health received proposals from two shortlisted proponents for the design-build contract to build the tower. As a result of the evaluation process, in co-ordination with Vancouver Coastal Health and Infrastructure BC, PCL Constructors West Coast Inc. was selected as the successful proponent. The official name for the new tower will be the Paul Myers Tower.

“This pandemic has brought to light how important it is for our communities to have access to high-quality health-care facilities,” said Bowinn Ma, MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale. “The Paul Myers Tower has been made possible through generous community contributions as well as provincial government investments and will be a testament to our collective commitment to delivering better care for British Columbians.”

Vivian Eliopoulos, Interim President and CEO, Vancouver Coastal Health, said: “We’re pleased to take this step forward in the development of a new acute-care tower at LGH, which will help enable improved access to care for residents on the North Shore and in coastal communities. The patient-centred design will enhance the experience of patients and families living in the region and surrounding Indigenous communities.”

Susie Chant, MLA for North Vancouver-Seymour, said: “I have personal experience working as a registered nurse team leader in community care with Vancouver Coastal Health on the North Shore, and I absolutely recognize the need for new and enhanced services to meet growing needs. This is a much-needed improvement to health care here and to all the regional areas this hospital supports, and I’m proud to be a part of the progress.”

The new acute-care facility will replace aging infrastructure and will be a high-tech facility. It will serve as the hub for acute and virtual services for people on the North Shore and throughout the coastal region.

The facility will feature eight new operating rooms, a new pre-operative and post-operative care area (including anesthesia intervention and isolation rooms), 108 single-patient rooms with ensuite bathrooms, a telehealth centre and a primary care centre to give residents without a family doctor faster access to non-acute services. Construction is expected to begin in mid-2021.

“This is a very exciting step forward for our community and one that comes down to generosity of spirit,” said Judy Savage, President and CEO, LGH Foundation. “We’re so grateful to Paul Myers for his inspirational lead gift, which served as a catalyst in rallying together the more than 6,400 members of our community who so generously supported our campaign to build the new tower at LGH.”

The project budget of $310 million is cost shared between the Province, Vancouver Coastal Health and a $100-million fundraising campaign by Lions Gate Hospital Foundation. The new acute-care facility will be named after North Shore businessman and philanthropist Paul Myers, who donated $25 million to the foundation’s $100-million campaign.

LGH provides a full range of general and many specialized acute-care services. The hospital is a recognized trauma centre and has 254 beds, eight operating rooms and a variety of diagnostic services and equipment. It is the fourth-busiest hospital in Vancouver and one of only five neurosurgery centres in British Columbia.

The hospital is part of Vancouver Coastal Health, the governing authority for several coastal communities including Vancouver and North and West Vancouver. Vancouver Coastal Health provides a full range of health-care services, ranging from hospital treatment to community-based long-term care, home health, mental health and public health services.