SURREY PATIENTS BENEFIT FROM MORE ACUTE CARE BEDS

SURREY – Since 2005, government has worked with Fraser Health to open 73 additional acute care beds, including three intensive care unit beds, on a permanent basis at Surrey Memorial Hospital. The additional beds represent a 26 per cent increase in acute care beds in Surrey for a total of 491 since Fraser Health was created. The additional acute care beds are part of the $30 million development initiative that started in 2005 to build capacity, expand services and ease congestion pressures at Surrey Memorial Hospital, the regional referral centre for Surrey, Langley, White Rock and Delta. The initiative also includes a $10-million expansion of the hospital’s kidney dialysis unit from 18 to 30 hemodialysis stations, and reconfiguration of both the laboratory and pharmacy by the end of 2008. All of the additional acute beds are complete and are being phased in as staffing levels are met. The additional 73 acute care beds include:
· 44 acute medical beds completed in August 2008.· Three additional intensive care unit beds completed August 2008 (resulted in the net-loss of four acute medical beds), which increased ICU capacity to 15 beds. · Ten additional acute rehabilitation beds opened June 2008, for a total of 20, in a new purpose-built unit at Laurel Place. · Eleven acute medical and surgical beds opened in fall 2006. · Nine existing beds now funded and operated on a permanent, ongoing basis. The additional acute care beds, new dialysis stations and improvements to the laboratory and pharmacy at Surrey Memorial Hospital are examples of how British Columbia's health system will benefit from the province’s $2.7-billion investment in a health sector capital plan over the next three years.

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Don Quixote Note: Nov. 6/06

I was using the 2006 statistics from Gov. B.C. Stats to prepare a report of the costs on a per capita basis for the City where I live, (VERNON) for hospital charges to the municipal taxpayer on their property tax bill.When I sorted the Cities in B.C. from lowest to highest you can imagined my surprise when I discovered that the lower mainland cities had no costs charged for hospital. While the rest of the cities ponied up almost $67 million cities as shown in table below pay nothing. Sunshine Tax confirmed by Health Minister
and Minister of Health replies to Don Quixote E-Mail