April 28, 2011
New Community Health Project Coming To Mission

MISSION – Families in Mission will benefit from better access to health services in a new development announced today by Fraser Health and its municipal partners, the Fraser Valley Regional Hospital District (FVRHD) and District of Mission.

A new Community Health Centre and a new 200-bed Campus of Care will improve access to health care services in the Fraser Valley by locating a range of services in one geographic area adjacent to Fraser Health’s Mission Memorial Hospital.

A central tenet of the community health project is to provide the community with the opportunity to receive client-centred care and integrated medical assessments outside a hospital environment. Fraser Health and the FVRHD see this project as an exciting prototype for communities throughout the Fraser Valley.

The Community Health Centre will be a 27,000-sq.-ft. facility with programs including primary care, a diabetes and seniors’ clinic, public health, home health, mental health and addictions, and lease space for community partners such as physicians and retailers.

The Campus of Care for seniors will be a 128,000-sq.-ft. facility with 200 residential care beds for people with complex 24/7 care needs, and a day program for older adults. This new facility will add 25 per cent more residential care beds to the community and replace out-of-date buildings with a modern facility that will feature single occupancy rooms and several “neighborhoods”, which allow residents close access to essentials including meals, amenity spaces, and clinical staff.

The new facilities are expected to open in late 2013. Construction could begin in late 2011 following a procurement process. The total building cost will be determined with $22 million from the FVRHD and the remaining funds raised through Fraser Health working capital and a private sector development partner.

The Mission community health project is a major achievement for the Community Health Plan developed in partnership between Fraser Health, the Fraser Valley Regional Hospital District and the District of Mission in 2008. The plan guided the health authority and the district in working together to address the current and future health needs of the community.

Fraser Health provides a wide range of integrated health services to the largest and fastest growing population in B.C. The health authority is committed to improving the health of the population and the quality of life of more than 1.6 million people living in communities from Burnaby to White Rock to Hope.

The Fraser Valley Regional Hospital District financially contributes to the capital projects and equipment purchases that support the delivery of health care to the residents of the eastern portion of Fraser Health. Through the Regional Hospital District, taxpayers have contributed more than $100 million to expand or improve health care facilities in the Fraser Valley. The capital funding provided by the FVRHD complements the more than $2 billion provided annually to Fraser Health by the BC government to meet the health care needs in our communities.

Quotes:

Michael de Jong, Health Minister :
"The Mission community health project offers Fraser Valley families an innovative and creative service model for better health care. The health centre and campus of care will provide a wide range of health services, from taking children to see a family doctor to offering seniors who need residential care the ability to remain in their community close to family and friends."

Marc Dalton MLA Maple Ridge-Mission:
“This innovative project advances Mission as a leader in the delivery of a fully integrated service delivery model for individuals with primary health care and chronic disease management needs,” said Mission MLA Marc Dalton.  “I’m very pleased to see this substantial investment and major expansion to our Mission hospital locale.”

Randy Hawes MLA Abbotsford-Mission:
“This partnership will result in better health care services closer to home for clients from Mission and the Fraser Valley, and allow Mission seniors to remain in care in their community near their family and friends. This is a real quality of life enhancement that helps keep families together."  

Dr. Nigel Murray President and CEO Fraser Health :
“Integrating clinical services can dramatically improve client service and health outcomes. Not only will clients be able to access a range of services close together, but our care teams will be better able to coordinate the care provided to the client,” said Dr. Nigel Murray, President and CEO of Fraser Health. “We are excited about this opportunity to grow and enhance the health services in Mission in collaboration with our municipal partners.”

Sharon Gaetz FVRHD Chair:
“The project is certainly innovative from a health care perspective, but it is also changing how we approach facilities development,” said FVRHD Chair, Chilliwack Mayor Sharon Gaetz. “The Campus of Care seniors’ residence will be funded largely through the FVRHD contribution with the community health centre portion funded by a private sector development partner. This partnership means the district’s contribution can be leveraged to deliver a better project sooner than the traditional model might have delivered.”

Mayor James Atebe District of Mission:
“This project is of tremendous benefit and improvement to the citizens of Mission, from both a health care and a jobs perspective,” said Mission Mayor James Atebe.  “These new state-of-the-art facilities will assist in recruiting health care professionals to our community.  The design is family-centred and residents will soon have the majority of their health needs met right in their backyard by high-quality community-based health care and support services.”

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