Vernon Jubilee Hospital construction update

Kelowna Daily Courier: 09/28,2010


There’s only one year until the new Polson Tower at Vernon Jubilee Hospital opens. Construction crews are well on their way to completing the building on time and on budget.   As we enter our final year of construction, we‘d love to get your feedback on how we‘re doing. Please take five minutes to complete a survey. Go to www.buildingpatientcare.ca and click on “Give Us Your Feedback” under the Feature Story.  As you can see if you drive by the hospital, the scaffolding is now gone from the exterior of the building and it’s becoming apparent what the building will look like when it is completed. The foundation and columns for the ground floor link between the existing hospital and the new Emergency Department have been poured, and the structures that will form the walkways between the two buildings at the second and third floors are under construction. The work to link the two buildings was very complex and involved working in and around patient areas over the summer. The work went remarkably well thanks to the commitment and perseverance of Interior Health staff and physicians and the Graham Construction crews, both of whom worked really well together to minimize any affect on patients. We also want to thank our patients who were very understanding as the work was underway. 
The interior of the new tower is also starting to look a lot like a hospital. The ground floor where the ER will be is almost complete. The second floor is not far behind. Flooring is well underway and the ceilings are going in. The third floor is also painted and the flooring is going in. Major mechanical and electrical equipment continues to arrive and the work crews are running two shifts to keep up with the schedule.  The curbs and islands that will create the upper parking and drop-off area in front of the main entrance are installed, as are the curb and gutter for the road to the ambulance bays, and paving is well underway.

Meanwhile, VJH staff helped celebrate the beginning of the one-year countdown until opening of the new tower by participating in a staff town hall on September 23, featuring an inspirational presentation by Josh Dueck, local athlete and silver medalist at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. The new slogan for the one-year countdown is Health in Motion. The winning slogan was submitted by Maja Keast, executive assistant to the VJH Chief of Staff, and was selected out of 64 submissions from staff.