Dignitaries pose with a ceremonial beam covered with signatures at the construction site of Penticton Regional Hospital on Friday. The ceremony marked the end of the “concrete phase” and brought the construction of the David E. Kampe Tower to its halfway point. (Keith Lacey photo)

With provincial Health Minister and former NDP leader Adrian Dix looking on, a ceremonial steel beam was raised Friday at Penticton Regional Hospital, officially making the end of the “concrete phase” and overall construction now passing the halfway point and stakeholders look forward to the David E. Kampe Tower opening its doors to patients in the spring of 2019.

Dix was joined by senior hospital administration, members of the South Okanagan-Similkameen Regional Hospital District, South Okanagan-Similkameen Medical Foundation, Penticton MLA Dan Ashton, Boundary-Similkameen MLA Linda Larson, administration from the Penticton Indian Band and local residents for the special ceremony.

The entire six-storey project has officially passed the hallway point and remains on time and budget so far, said Dix.

“I couldn’t be happier, having come here when people were asking for this, having called for as leader of the opposition, worked with my colleague (former Penticton Mayor) Dan Ashton on the project … I’m very proud to be here today,” he said.

Dix credited the entire community in and around Penticton for rallying together over several years to ensure a new hospital tower would be built.

Dix noted there are several communities across British Columbia that want and need improved health care infrastructure, but said the commitment and dedication shown by municipal and provincial leaders as well as Penticton and area residents made the dream of the new hospital tower become a reality.

As part of the ceremony, staff, physicians, volunteers, and community members were invited to sign their name on a structural-steel beam, a permanent and visible reminder of the support local residents have shown for this project.

To conclude the ceremony, the eight-foot steel beam, covered in signatures, was hoisted and placed into its permanent location in the David E. Kampe Tower.

Kampe, a well-known Penticton business leader, attended Friday’s ceremony. Kampe has donated more than $4 million to purchase new equipment for the tower once it opens.

“The measurement of the David E. Kampe Tower represents more than the metres of rebar placed and the volume of concrete poured, but the foundation of public health care it strengthens within the community,” said Dix. “I have been a strong supporter of the project from the beginning and I know what it will mean to the people of the South Okanagan.”

The David E. Kampe Tower is Phase 1 of the $312.5-million Penticton Regional Hospital Patient Care Tower Project.

At six storeys and approximately 26,155 square metres (281,530 square feet), the tower is designed to make accessing services easier for patients by bringing programs currently dispersed throughout the hospital into one convenient location.

Patients will benefit from a new ambulatory care centre, five new operating rooms, a rooftop helipad and space to allow the UBC faculty of medicine program to expand. Patients will benefit from 84 single-patient rooms, each with its own washrooms, which will improve infection control and provide patients and their families with a quiet and private space for recovery.

“Today we are celebrating much more than a building, we are celebrating the people that worked hard to make this project possible,” said Dr. Doug Cochrane, Interior Health board chair. “I’d like to thank all of the staff, physicians, and volunteers who have dedicated their skill and commitment to enhancing patient care at Penticton Regional Hospital.”

The completion of the tower will mean better patient flow and access to services, and a new permanent MRI and nuclear medicine program, said Cochrane.

The new tower will also support staff and physician recruitment, retention and education by offering the opportunity for medical professionals to work in a state-of-the-art clinical environment.

“I am thrilled to see the progress that has been made on the tower,” said Judy Sentes, vice-chair of the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional Hospital District. “This milestone represents another step forward in ensuring quality health care for the South Okanagan for many years to come.”

“This milestone is in recognition of all the good work people have done throughout the community to support this project,” said Carey Bornn, executive director of the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation. “I’d like to thank all of our donors for their generous contributions to provide state-of-the-art medical equipment for the new tower.”

Dix thanked all of the construction workers involved in building the new hospital tower for their professionalism and excellence and congratulated all hospital staff, including physicians and nurses, for continuing to provide quality health care to patients during the construction phase.

Following completion of the tower, Phase 2 of the project will begin.

Phase 2 includes renovations to vacated areas in the existing hospital to allow for an expanded emergency department in a space almost four times the size of the current department, plus renovations for support areas of pharmacy, stores and laundry.

For more information on the Patient Care Tower Project at Penticton Regional Hospital, visit: www.buildingpatientcare.ca

KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times