The Kootenay East Regional Hospital District board got a first look at plans for the renal and oncology expansion at the East Kootenay Regional Hospital in Cranbrook during a recent board meeting on March 14.
The early plans show the two-storey building including the renal department on the first floor and the oncology department on the second floor.
For the renal department, the expansion includes moving from four to eight hemodialysis beds, while also featuring a care team station, allied health work stations, multipurpose rooms, exam room, staff support room and clinical support spaces.
For the oncology department, the expansion includes moving from nine to 13 oncology treatment bays, while also featuring a care team station, exam rooms, allied health and patient support rooms, and clinical support spaces.
The building itself will be situated on the northeast side of the EKRH campus adjacent and connected to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). A 12-stall parking lot for patient access will be located alongside 24th Ave. N.
During the presentation, Interior Health noted current and 20-year projections of renal and oncology services at the new facility.
For oncology, there were 2,325 systemic therapy visits in 2021/22, which is expected to rise 58 per cent by 2041/42. Medical Day Care visits are expected to rise by the same per cent over the same time period.
Ambulatory Care Unit consultations and follow up visits are expected to rise by 33 per cent and 40 per cent respectively.
For renal services, the current number of 23 hemodialysis patients is projected to rise 48-65 per cent, while the current number of 412 kidney care clinic patients is projected to rise 22-40 per cent.
In an interview after the board meeting, hospital board chair David Wilks expressed some concern that the 20 year projections and expansion of services don't go far enough.
"I'm a little concerned that we're under-building, but having said that, it's a new building, it does have more rooms available for both oncology and renal, so that's a good thing," Wilks said.
Over the course of the expansion project, Interior Health will be pondering future uses of the existing oncology space at EKRH, currently located on the main floor, as well as existing space at Rocky Mountain Lodge that will open up as a result of the expansion.
Based on timelines, the project will be going out to design build qualifications by July, which should return a few different options. The Ministry of Health and Interior Health will award a contract by April 2026, with construction to start by December 2026.
Completion is projected by October 2028 with services going live three months later.
While the confirmed plans include the two storeys for expanded renal and oncology departments, there is also some talk about potentially adding a third floor to utilize a $15 million donation from Elk Valley Resources.
The $15 million had previously been committed by Teck, and was included in a list of federal regulatory requirements when the company sold its coal assets through Elk Valley Resources to Glencore last year.
While adding a third floor isn't yet a finalized option approved by Interior Health or the Ministry of Health at this point, hospital board chair David Wilks said he is hoping for it. An Interior Health official noted the Elk Valley Resources donation of $15 million would cover approximately half of the cost to add a third floor and that more cost-share funding from the hospital board would be required to fully fund it.
If the project does add a third floor, it could possibly hold relocated services from the main floor at the front entrance in order to make room for an expanded emergency department, which is the next major project that the board is potentially eyeing at EKRH.
Meanwhile, the East Kootenay Foundation for Health is also gearing up a fundraising campaign to support the new building, and has already raised over $200,000 from the Starlite Campaign last fall.
The $59 million project was announced by the Province in January, with the Kootenay East Regional Hospital District — regional property taxpayers — responsible for $23.2 million of that total cost.
