Nanaimo Regional Hospital District: Planning for Our Region's Healthcare Needs

Long-term Care Facility Announcement
on October 19, 2023

On October 19, 2023 the Province of British Columbia announced that a new long-term care home will be built in Lantzville at 6910 and 6930 Lantzville Road. The new facility will bring a total of 306 long-term care beds to the region, including a 20-bed hospice unit and a 26-bed specialized population unit.

The new long-term care home will enable local seniors to move out of hospitals and unsuitable situations, allowing them to age with appropriate care and dignity in or near their home communities. It’s a critical component of the continuum of care for seniors and will ease pressure on hospital services and acute care beds at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH).

The project will be jointly funded by the Province through Island Health and by the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District. The NRHD has purchased the properties on behalf of Island Health for the purpose of building the long-term care facility. The facility will be built, owned and operated by Island Health.

Q: What features will be included in the new long-term care facility?

A: The new long-term care facility will provide the following:

• 306 long-term care beds, including a 20-bed hospice unit and a 26-bed specialized population unit.
• A three-story design composed of four main buildings, each containing six “households” that will include single bedrooms with ensuite washrooms.
• Residents will share social and recreational spaces such as a dining room, outdoor spaces and lounge areas.

Q: Why was the property in Lantzville chosen for the long-term care facility?

A: Island Health identified these properties through a comprehensive search for potential locations for the long-term care facility.

For more information about the long-term care facility project, view the FAQs- Lantzville Long-term Care Facility

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On May 26, 2023, the Province announced the approval of a concept plan for a new cancer centre at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH).

In addition to constructing a new cancer centre, hospital upgrades are also approved, which includes renovating and expanding the existing community oncology clinic at NRGH. This will increase the number of treatment spaces and exam rooms, and replace the current cancer outpatient pharmacy.

The new cancer centre is expected to offer radiation therapy, an outpatient ambulatory care unit and a net new PET/CT machine. Construction will also include a new radiation-treatment space with four shielded treatment rooms for high-energy radiation-treatment linear accelerators, which deliver high-energy X-rays or electrons to the region of a patient's tumour.

The cancer centre is a part of the Province’s 10-year B.C. cancer action plan, which outlines immediate steps to prevent, detect and treat cancers, delivering improved care for people facing cancer now while preparing for the growing needs of the future.

The project’s scope and budget will be determined in the business-planning phase, which is underway.

On March 23, 2023, the Province of British Columbia announced that the new 12-bed intensive care unit (ICU) currently under construction at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) will be expanded to include a new 12-bed high acuity unit (HAU). The ICU is expected to be open for patients in June 2023 and the HAU has a targeted opening date of September 2024.

High Acuity Units are a standard of care in most major centres. They provide an intermediate level of care for patients with requirements between that of the general ward and the ICUs. Without this level of care, patients are managed in ICUs, thereby reducing ICU capacity, or they remain on general wards where it is difficult to meet their care requirements. The new HAU will provide NRGH staff with the dedicated space and specialized equipment they need to deliver this intermediate care.

More information can be found in the news release, by clicking this link.