PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) Ambulatory Care Centre consolidated, expanded and modernized outpatient services within one facility. The project included a teaching facility (BC Okanagan Clinical Academic Campus) and a new patient care tower at Vernon Jubilee Hospital (VJH). The contract required taking on the existing buildings and infrastructure that were there prior to the reconstruction project. Construction included:

Kelowna General Hospital

• A new 6-storey, 33,500 sq. m. patient care tower comprised of general clinics, day surgery, diagnostic services, renal-dialysis services, specialized services, and a rooftop helipad, with full integration with the existing hospital. Two shelled-in floors for future patient beds were also built.
• A new 2-storey, 3,200 sq. m. UBCO Clinical Academic Campus building, housing a 180-seat lecture theatre, distance-education rooms, clinical-skills rooms and a library.
• A modernized emergency department with expanded facilities and services on the ground floor of a new patient care tower and a new multi-level parking lot.

Vernon Jubilee Hospital

• A new 7-storey, 16,800 sq. m. patient care tower comprised of a new intensive care unit, a newly expanded outpatient program, a separate outpatient for day procedures from an upper parking lot, consolidated and centralized operating rooms, and a maternity and pediatrics ward with direct link to operating rooms.
• A modernized emergency department with expanded facilities and services with high visibility ground level access, as well as two shelled-in floors for future patient beds.

B&M SCOPE OF WORK

Black & McDonald (B&M) worked with the design-build team throughout the integrated design process in the selection of equipment & systems and lifecycle planning to ensure constructability and sustainability throughout constructions, commissioning, and on into operations.

In the role of FM service provider, B&M’s scope includes provision of all plant services, including preventive maintenance, lifecycle management, tenant requests, tenant improvements and project management. Soft services include landscaping, pest control, and snow removal. A dedicated 24/7 bilingual call centre offers comprehensive coverage and response to all facilities for the overall project, including existing facilities and the Interior Health Authority’s own staff. Plant services at both KGH and VJH have a full complement of personnel including plant mangers, chief engineers, administrative and technical staff. Operations for the overall project are supported by a general manager and construction projects group.

BENEFITS TO THE CLIENT AND PROBLEMS SOLVED

Construction of the new facilities took place concurrently with normal day-to-day hospital operations and was integrated with existing infrastructure. Because this project was being designed and built in phases the decision was made to provide services during design and construction activities.

The implementation/transition of FM services early on has provided a conduit for the customer to feel more connected to the progress of the project and to have concerns and issues resolved quickly. One of the key start-up and transition challenges within the project was HR management.

B&M worked closely with the Interior Authority to minimize the number of employees displaced by the upcoming changes. All incumbent plant services staff were invited to apply for employment with B&M for positions within the hospitals. B&M was successful in transitioning services in a seamless manner with an operations team made up of a combination of incumbent and externally recruited staff.

INNOVATIVE PROCESS AND TECHNOLOGY

Once into the operational period a consistent service delivery model across multiple sites and facilities, including the coordination of the Authority’s own personnel, required immense front-end preparation of protocols, testing and plan development in a collaborative environment (service provider, hospital operations, and subcontractors).

Now into its eighth year of operations, it’s time for life-cycle/renewal and other overhaul project work. The B&M project management team has successfully orchestrated these projects which within an active health care environment requires careful logistical planning and coordination.