(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
July 04, 2015 - 8:30 AM
MERRITT - Planning is underway for the new emergency department at Nicola Valley Hospital and Health Centre in Merritt.
Interior Health has put out a request for proposals for architectural and planning consultants to develop a plan for the upgrades. Patient privacy and confidentiality, safety, infection prevention and control and patient access and flow will all be considered during the planning process.
"The community has looked forward to this project for a long time," Fraser-Nicola MLA Jackie Tegart said in a release. "We know that having modern health-care facilities and services are important criteria for many businesses and families in their decision to locate in communities. I'm excited about what this may mean for the future of the Merritt region."
The cost of the planning will be approximately $600,000 and will be cost-shared between the province, Interior Health and the Thompson Regional Hospital District. This phase is expected to take about nine to 12 months to complete.
The hospital was built in 1964 and serves a population of about 12,000 people.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015