A Healthier You - July

A Healthier YouPresented by Northern Health, The Prince George Citizen and Glacier Media

July 2012

HeAlTH beNefiTsWorking hard and

injury free

Workplace health and safety

NORTHERN B.C.’S FIRST FULL HOSPITAL REPLACEMENT

Published By

David Callahan, North Peace residential care manager; Betty Morris, chief operating officer for the northeast; and Angela De Smit, health service administratorfor the North Peace.

FORT ST. JOHN HOSPITAL ANd PeAce vILLA

2 — A HEALTHIER YOU July ‘12

A HEALTHIER YOU — 3July ‘12

Welcome to the third edition of A Healthier You. Follow-ing in the footsteps of the first edition about men’s health, and the second about medical training and the people of Northern Health, our newest publication focuses on major building initiatives currently underway in the Northern Health region. We recognize that the north has unique chal-lenges of climate, population, economics, and geography. It is our vision that new projects such as the facilities described below will continuously lead to improvements in health care in the north.

On June 21, 2012, patients officially moved to the new $301.8 million Fort St. John Hospital and Peace Villa. This new hospital and residential care facility is the largest hospital replacement in the north, and a project we are very proud of. I am pleased with how the project came together and included extensive engagement from staff, commu-nity, and stakeholders at each stage of design and construction.

As Northern Health celebrates the completion of the Fort St. John project, we are very excited that two other projects will be proceeding as well. On April 12, 2012, the provincial government announced funding to replace two hospitals – one in the Village of Queen Charlotte on Haida Gwaii and the other in Burns Lake – with a combined budget of $105 million. This edition of A Healthier You contains more information on the Burns Lake, Queen Charlotte, and Fort St. John projects and the support they received from the Government of B.C. and local regional hospital districts.

As the three hospitals being replaced are all over 50 years old, creating an upgraded health in-frastructure in these areas is critical to our success in providing exceptional health care in Northern Health. The new state-of-the-art facilities will help improve patient care, as well as provide better working environments for staff.

In Quesnel, Dawson Creek, Terrace, and Tumbler Ridge, there are important planning processes underway to plan for future health care needs. The critical process of future planning for each community will allow Northern Health to work towards meeting the needs of the people we serve. In this edition of A Healthier You is an examination of this master planning process.

Enjoy!

Cathy Ulrich, Northern Health president and chief executive officer

Welcome to AHealthier You

INSIDE

Published by

A Healthier You

Publisher: Managing Editor:

Advertising:Design, Layout:

Colleen SparrowNeil GodboutLu VerticchioColleen McComb

and

cOveR FeATuRe16Fort St. John Hospital and Peace Villa

Opening Remarks

STAFF PROFILe18Getting to know Albert Sommerfeld

23WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY

26HEALTH CARE FOuNDATiON uPDATES

Cathy has held her position

of president and CEO since 2007.

From 2002 to 2007, she was the

organization’s vice president, clinical

services and chief nursing officer.

Before the formation of Northern Health,

Ulrich worked in a variety of nursing and

management positions in northern B.C.,

Manitoba, and Alberta.

Most of her career has been in rural and

northern communities, giving her a

solid understanding of their

unique health needs.


When the BC Cancer Agency Centre for the North

opens in late 2012, this new 5,000-square-metre cancer facility in Prince George will be state-of-the-art. The centre incorporates various features and new services for northern BC residents, including the introduction of radiation therapy for the first time in the region.

The new facility, operated by the BC Cancer Agency, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority, will be the sixth regional cancer centre in the prov-ince; the others are located in Abbotsford, Kelowna, Sur-rey, Vancouver and Victoria.

Some of the province’s first doorless radiation therapy vaults will be in use at the Centre for the North. This in-novative vault design allows patients to undergo high dose radiation therapy with-out the need for a heavy lead door, which will provide a less intimidating environ-ment for patients receiving the treatment.

A spiritual care room will provide patients and loved ones with private space for gatherings, relaxation and meditation. Situated on the second floor, away from the bustle of clinical areas, the

room’s round design and warm wood finishing is a welcoming sanctuary for people of all cultures.

The BC Cancer Agency Centre for the North has been built to achieve Leader-ship in Energy and Environ-ment Design (LEED) gold certification, an interna-tionally recognized green building certification. With environmental sustainability in mind, some of the green initiatives included in the building design are:

• A green living roof com-prised of local plants native to Prince George and the sur-rounding region. The living roof will provide several ben-efits to the building includ-ing capturing rainwater and providing insulation. This 785-square-meter space will also house two large patios.

• Water-efficient plumbing fixtures, to reduce the use of potable water by 30 per cent.

• Secure bicycle storage and shower facilities for staff, to support the use of alternative methods of trans-portation.

• Mechanical and elec-trical systems which will reduce the building’s energy consumption significantly when compared to a stan-dard cancer centre.

Cont’d on page 5

Cancer centre incorporates

special design

and green features

Cancer Centre


Cont’d from page 4• A system to monitor and

provide rapid feedback to the building operator for temperature, airflow and humidity levels throughout the facility.

• Non-CFC-based and Non-HCFC-based products

used in building systems and operations, to minimize ozone depletion.

• Use of interior building materials (e.g. paint, carpets, sealants) that emit low or no amounts of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), for bet-ter indoor air quality.

The BC Cancer Agency Centre for the North is a key part of the Northern Cancer Control Strategy, a joint part-nership between Northern Health, BC Cancer Agency and the Provincial Health Services Authority, to reduce the incidence and mortality

of cancer, as well as improve the quality of life of those liv-ing with cancer. The strategy is focused on enhancing the continuum of cancer services in the north, including pre-vention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and supportive and palliative care.

z Cancer Centre


On Thursday, May 31, the provincial government sent out a request for qualifica-tions to narrow down the

search for a qualified team to build the 16-bed acute care facility, a project announced April 12.

Applicants will be reviewed and up to three applicants will be later shortlisted to participate in the request for the proposal process. The shortlist will be announced on August 31, 2012 and the request for proposals will open on September 21, 2012.

Northern Health expects to have the successful builder identified by March 2013, and construction will begin shortly after that. The project is slated to be finished by the summer of 2015.

Cont’d on page 7

Burns Lake Hospital

Tendering process begins for Burns Lake hospital

Construction of the much-anticipated replacement of Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre has yet to scratch the surface,

but the wheels of the project are turning.


Cont’d from page 6

“Today is the first of many milestones in the process of building a new hospital in Burns Lake, all of which are exciting news for patients, families and hospital staff,” said Health Minister Michael de Jong. “All across British Columbia we are building better patient care, including northern B.C.”

The new hospital is ex-pected to cost between $50 million and $55 million, with 80 per cent of the tab picked up by the province and 20 per cent provided by the Stuart Nechako Regional Hospital District.

The facility will provide services for acute care, emergency, diagnostic imag-

ing, a medical laboratory and pharmacy. It will also include a complex procedure space which will allow for testing and screening for cancer and space to appro-priately support the response to disasters in the area.

The existing hospital was built in 1960. The new hospital will be rated as a level five trauma centre, the lowest classification on the provincial trauma scale. It will serve a population of about 5,000, drawing from Burns Lake, Francois Lake, Topley, Granisle, Endako, Grassy Plains and several First Nations villages in the area.

– Ted Clarke Citizen staff

z Burns Lake Hospital


In the wake of the tragedy at the Babine Lake Sawmill in Burns Lake on Janu-ary 20, 2012, Canfor Pulp Limited

Partnership decided to show their support for those who responded during that difficult night. The company, its employees, and the union teamed up to show their appreciation and raised a total of $87,870 for new medical equipment for the Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre in Burns Lake.

“The employees and unions raised $43,935, which was then matched by the company,” said Onkar Athwal, vice president, human resources for Canfor Pulp. “The forest in-dustry is a close-knit community, and when tragedy like this strikes a member of the community, everyone wants to pitch in and help out. The money raised will be used for items

needed by the local community hospital in Burns Lake.”Emergency crews quickly responded to the explosion and

subsequent fire at the Babine Lake Sawmill, which resulted in 24 injured and two fatalities. Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre was a key piece of this response, along with first responders, as they worked tirelessly to attend to the needs of the injured workers and their families.

“We received support from physicians and staff all along the highway corridor from Smithers to Prince George,” said Marie Hunter, Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre site manager. “Everyone responded and the commitment of our staff and physicians was exceptional.”

The $87,870 raised by Canfor Pulp and its employees will be used in the Burns Lake medical community for equip-ment, supplies, or other items that are identified as needed or wanted. A committee has been established to collect a wish list from each department and Canfor Pulp Limited Partnership will be kept updated on where the money will be used.

In the wake of tragedy Canfor Donation


z In the wake of tragedy


Northern Health typically has 40 to 50 capital proj-ects underway,

ranging from building new facilities such as hospitals, to renovations to existing facilities, and planning for the future needs of a com-munity. The large capital projects currently underway in Northern Health are two hospital replacements and the creation of the new UH-NBC Learning and Library Centre. The $301.8 million Fort St. John Hospital and Peace Villa officially opened in June 2012, marking the end of the largest hospital

replacement project in the north. While the physical construction of a new build-ing is seen as a large portion of the work, there is also a lot of planning that needs to be completed to ensure the project will reach comple-tion.

The early work on a capital project involves creating a business case, or the request for funding, that is submit-ted to the Province of B.C. and other potential funding sources, including regional hospital districts. The busi-ness case includes why a new project or hospital is needed, if there are any ex-

panded services requested, and the amount of money required to build the facility. Most capital projects are completed through fund-sharing in which the prov-ince and regional hospital district contribute money. The two hospital replace-ment projects currently un-derway in Northern Health, Burns Lake and Queen Charlotte, are examples of fund sharing. Some other areas that must be included in the business case are gauging interest in potential companies that may wish to complete the capital project, and double checking the planning work. The time it takes varies from the early discussions of the capital project to business case submission, but an example such as Fort St John’s project took about four years.

After the business case has been submitted, the prov-ince and regional hospital district determine if there is funding available for the project. After the funding is secured, Northern Health works with Partnerships BC (PBC), a government organi-

zation that helps with capital projects, to move through the process of finding a suit-able company to deliver the capital project, known as procurement.

There are a few differ-ent ways for a project to be completed, and the procure-ment method is often ap-proved through the business case submission process with government. Typi-cally, larger projects can be built as a pure construction contract, where NH pays a consultant team to design and then finds a company to construct the facility; a design-build is where a procurement process is run with the help of PBC, with a partner which designs and builds the facility and turns it over to NH for operations; or a design-build-finance-maintain project, typically called a public private part-nership, occurs when the procurement process allows a company to design, build and operate the facility for a set amount of time while NH offers the health services.

Cont’d on page 11

The building process

Capital PlanningMichael Hoefer

regional director, capital planning and support services



The procurement stage in-volves selecting a builder for the project that is qualified and able to finish the project on time and on budget with the required scope and quality. The selection pro-cess includes releasing the request for qualifications for interested teams to submit; reviewing the submissions and making a short list with a maximum of three poten-tial companies; releasing a request for proposals for those three companies; and finally selecting a company to work with. This process takes approximately nine months to complete and is monitored by a fairness advisor to ensure the final decision is not influenced by potential personal gains for the funding sources or Northern Health.

Once three successful pro-ponent teams are selected, we move into the requests for proposals stage. This is the stage where NH and PBC work with the propo-nent teams to evaluate each proposal. In this stage, the proponent teams move through early design work. Typically as this is occurring, pre-site work or preparation will start as the procurement is underway to ensure the successful company can start work on the project as soon

as the contract is awarded.Once the project is

awarded, the more detailed final design and engineer-ing is completed, allowing the successful proponent to move into the construction phase. In many cases, final design of the facility occurs concurrently with the start of construction, pouring footings and starting the building as we complete de-sign details and engineering. Staff, physicians, community members, and other stake-holders are engaged in the entire process to ensure the facility will meet their needs.

The construction stage of a project varies depending on the size of the overall project. For the $301.8 mil-lion Fort St. John Hospital and Peace Villa, the con-struction phase took about three years, whereas for the approximately $55 mil-lion Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre and $50 million Haida Gwaii/Queen Charlotte General Hospital, construction is expected to take about two years on each. In northern B.C., cli-mate plays a big factor in the construction of new facili-ties, so being time efficient is critical. Being able to start construction in the spring is also important, especially in a climate like Burns Lake or Fort St. John, where winter comes early and leaves later.

As construction of the building finishes, equipment is deliv-ered to the facility, installed and tested. After this step is finished, patients and equip-ment have to be relocated to the new facility. Once the move is complete, a celebra-tion is held to honour all the hard work that was put into the project, and the project is complete.

For more information on the capital projects currently underway in Northern Health, visit northernhealth.ca.

Michael Hoefer has worked

with Northern Health for 12 years,

seven in his current role as regional

director, capital planning and support

services. Michael is responsible for

overseeing capital projects in all stages of

development. Prior to this position, Hoefer

was the regional director, diagnostic services,

and the health services administrator in

Burns Lake. Mike was originally trained as a

Medical Laboratory Technologist (1986) and

later attended the University of British

Columbia, where he completed a

Bachelor’s of Medical Laboratory

Science (1992) and a Master’s in

Health Administration

(1994).

z The building process


April 12, 2012 was a very exciting day for Haida Gwaii as the Province

of B.C. and North West Regional Hospital District announced $50 million for a new hospital to be built in Queen Charlotte. This project is an important investment for families and

future generations on Haida Gwaii in the delivery of qual-ity, sustainable health care services. The new facility will be built directly behind the current hospital, and after construction is com-plete the old hospital will be demolished. Local leaders, including Village of Queen Charlotte mayor Carol Kule-

sha, have been supporters of building a new facility.

“This new hospital has been a long time coming, and it took all of us working together to make it hap-pen,” said Kulesha. “I’d like to thank those who helped make this facility a reality: the communities of Haida Gwaii, the regional hospital district, the regional district, Northern Health, Ministry of Health, the health minister, and the Premier, who heard our voices.”

This project will enable NH physicians and clinicians to deliver client-focused, health care services in a modernized environment that will ultimately improve outcomes for patients. A number of enhancements may include an expanded emergency room, a birthing centre, residential care beds, and a modern trauma room with capacity for enhanced equipment.

Cont’d on page 13

Queen Charlotte/Haida Gwaii General Hospital

replacement announced

Queen Charlotte/Haida Gwaii



The hospital will also include single occupancy rooms in the acute care units.

“We are pleased that the Queen Charlotte/Haida Gwaii General Hospital Replacement project is mov-ing forward with planning,” said Cathy Ulrich, North-ern Health chief executive officer. “This hospital will provide our staff, physi-cians and the people of the region with a state-of-the-art facility that will serve their needs now and well into the future.”

With recent earthquakes and tsunamis that have oc-curred world-wide, includ-ing the disaster in Japan in 2011, having a health care facility with the abil-ity to deal with disasters is

extremely important. The new health care facility will act as a safe haven if Haida Gwaii were to be affected by a disaster event.

The current hospital in the Village of Queen Charlotte

was built in 1950. After a review of the old hospital, it was determined that it is better to build a new stand-alone facility rather than renovate the old facility.

The procurement process

to find a team to design and build the new Queen Char-lotte/Haida Gwaii General Hospital will begin in July 2012. Other work to be started in 2012 includes site preparation.

z Replacement announced


What does living in northern B.C. mean to you? To many,

it means working, learning, playing and exploring this

vast, natural region through all four seasons. For

many of those who make our region their home, northern B.C. is also their workplace. And, as we are reminded again and again, there can be very real risks to working in our north-ern, rural industries.

While the Canadian rate of work-related

injuries has declined in recent years, B.C. has a

rate higher than the national average and from 2005 to 2010, the northern region had 83 accidental work-place deaths. These deaths accounted for just over 21 per cent of all the workplace fatalities in B.C. despite the region making up less than seven per cent of the province’s population. As the injuries and deaths from the recent sawmill explosions have dramatically illustrated, injuries at work often create significant stress and burden to the individual, their fam-ily, the employer and com-munity.

Some industries have greater risk for injury, such as the construction, forestry, mining and transportation sectors. Young workers, par-ticularly young men under 25 years of age, are at the highest risk for a workplace injury in B.C.

Think it won’t happen to you? Remember that injuries are the number one killer of northern British Columbians between the ages of 1 to 44. By adjusting our attitudes, we can prevent these injuries and spend our work time and play time the way we

want to. What change can you make to stay injury-free, and to keep your workplace safe for everyone? How does your attitude about injury influence those around you: your buddies, your children, your community? Actions will speak louder than words.

Focus your actions on health

Get moving. Even if you feel tired after a long shift or day at work, your body needs a chance to walk, jump, run, swim, cycle, or dance. What-ever activity is fun for you, make a commitment to give back to your body after it gave you a hard day’s work. Fun activity helps to reduce stress and build energy while keeping your body fit and strong.

Break the habit. People don’t realize just how bad to-bacco use can be. Even trying just one cigarette can lead to addiction. Once you are hooked, quitting is a battle – the best route is to never start. If you use tobacco products, find the supports to help you quit.

Cont’d on page 15

Health Tip

Ronald Chapman is a physician with a fellowship in community medicine, and extensive experience in the leadership and management of health services with a focus on community health. Dr. Chapman joined the Northern Health team in 2007 as regional director of the Northern Cancer Control Strategy. Dr. Chapman assumed the role of the chief medical health officer of Northern Health in June 2011 in addition to his regional director role.

Working hard and injury free in northern B.C.

Dr. Ronald Chapman,chief medical health officer



Make healthy food choices. Feed your body the best fuel, as it’s the most precious resource you have. Your mind and body will feel and function so much better for your efforts. Choose wa-ter and be sure to add extra, especially if you are working out in the heat and sun.

Break away from distrac-tions. Start your day on your best foot and with your best efforts. Sleep is one of your body’s best friends; to keep you safe throughout your work day, make sure to get plenty of it when you are off-the-job, so you are safe on-the-job. Come to work sober, rested and ready to focus on your job and your safety.

Safety firstKnow and follow health and

safety requirements affecting your job.

If you don’t know how to do something safely, ask for training before you begin work.

Work safely, expect and encourage your co-workers

to do the same. Correct any unsafe condi-

tions or immediately report them to your supervisor.

Immediately report any injury to a first aid attendant or supervisor.

Take the initiative. Make

suggestions to improve health and safety affecting your job.

For more information on these health and safety topics, visit www.healthlinkbc.ca, www.worksafebc.com , or www.preventable.ca.

CITY OF FORT ST JOHNR0012779754.00x66.0-4CAH21 / 015131

The City of Fort St. John would like to congratulate the Fort St. John Hospital on their new Facility

R001277975

z Working hard and injury free


Feature

After four remodeling projects, it became obvious when a fifth was needed, and talks began about replacing the

Fort St. John Hospital and Peace Villa.Built for a much smaller population

in 1962, the aging facility was not designed to accommodate the high-tech electronics, imaging equipment and high-efficiency mechanical systems a modern hospital with increasing patient traffic now demands.

It was time to bring the residents of the North Peace region a hospital facility and residential care centre that would serve the community’s needs and inspire pride. To do that, North-ern Health had to write a new chapter in its own medical history book by masterminding northern B.C.’s first full hospital replacement.

“Typically in Canada, it’s quite un-usual to see a greenfield site -- for most hospitals, almost everything is adding on to an existing building, so we had the sheer benefit of the begin-again approach,” said Betty Morris, Northern Health chief operating officer for the northeast.

“It’s quite a remarkable facility.”The $301.8 million project was

fostered by a public-private partner-

ship between Northern Health and ISL Health, a private firm which had a hand in the building design and par-tially funded construction. ISL Health will maintain the facility for 32.5 years, dating back to the start of construc-tion in June 2009. The Peace River Regional Hospital District contributed $98 million to the project.

Covering three floors including the basement, the 23,353 square foot hospital is built on a 40-acre site. It has abundant natural day lighting with large windows. Skylights are a featured attraction in most areas of the hospital except the centrally-located diagnostic imaging department and the lower-level pharmacy and mechanical rooms.

Every patient room has a large window to allow daylight, which has proven beneficial healing effects.

“The big changes are the private rooms for patient care. We know through evidence-based practice that it reduces the incidence of hospital-acquired infections,” said Angela De Smit, Northern Health’s health service administrator for the North Peace. “Having more than one patient in a room also impacts sleep deprivation if you’re in a room where somebody may be restless or snoring.”

All but four of the patient rooms are private, and each of them will include sleeper chairs, which can accommodate a family member or caregiver to allow overnight stays with the patient. When population growth results in additional need, the hospital will eventually have 55 beds, but in the initial stages, 44 beds are now in service. Three of four intensive care unit beds are now open. The majority of beds are located on the inpatient unit, where the medical, surgical and pediatric departments are located.

The new hospital is two-thirds bigger than the one it replaced. Having more space with which to work is a key com-ponent. The old emergency ward had just seven cubicles for treating patients; now there are 23. The new ambulatory (walk-in patient) care area is signifi-cantly larger, providing intravenous antibiotic therapy, hemodialysis, and regularly-scheduled specialty clinics for such fields as dermatology, ortho-pedics, ear/nose/throat, and rheuma-tology. The clinics reduce the need for patients to travel to larger hospitals for consultations.

“We shoehorned things in the old hos-pital and put them in whatever space you could find all over the building, and

Fort St. John Hospital and Peace Villa


now we’ve found some economies [of scale] by creating the space together and we’ve taken advantage of that,” said Morris. “We’ve put the lab where you get your blood taken really close to where you would register to have an X-ray done because many people come for both, and we’ve made those services very close to the front door.”

New features include an expanded laboratory services area and isolation rooms on every department to prevent the spread of contagious infections. One entire wing on the inpatient unit can be totally locked down as a pandemic wing if, for instance, a respiratory infection was discovered. It utilizes a powerful air-exchange system to rapidly venti-late the area. A separate entrance with decontamination equipment is available in emergency for patients who arrive wearing clothing or equipment that has contacted hazardous materials.

All washrooms are wheelchair acces-sible, a problem that plagued the old hospital, as did a lack of shower facili-ties. Gone are the lineups that used to exist when there were just two showers for 30 patients.

A local retailer -- Patch Java Cof-fee House -- has opened a main-floor cafeteria open to the public and staff. Owner Devon Wigglesworth has created a menu of homemade soups, sandwich-es and muffins and other healthy snacks and uses mostly locally produce or meat. Two patios, one off the cafeteria and one in residential care, serve the hospital patients and staff.

One of the most anticipated features of the new hospital is the 124-bed Peace Villa residential care facility, which consolidates three of the area’s long-

term patient care centres in a 7,916 square metre structure. Separated from the new hospital by a hallway, Peace Villa offers easy access for patients, doctors and medical lab staff, which formerly required them to leave the hos-pital. Having both facilities under one roof also creates cost savings for food services, laundry services, and utilities such as heat and power.

In Peace Villa, all residents have private rooms in one of two buildings, designated The Meadows or The Gar-dens. All patient rooms are equipped with showers, and are grouped in wings called lanes, which have 12, 16 or 20 patient rooms. Each lane has a shared dining room and living room, and ac-tivities in each are kept separate.

“Residents form friendships with other residents and we’ve tried to maintain those relationships,” said North Peace residential care program manager David Callahan. “Having the residents in smaller populations is much better for the residents; it makes it more home-like.”

Callahan said it’s a misconception that residential care is limited to seniors. Al-though the majority of the population is 65 or older, several Peace Villa residents are in their 30s and 40s.

“We provide care for those patients who, for one reason or another, are not able to be cared for at home any lon-ger,” said Callahan. “We see some resi-dents who come with quite an advanced disease process and some of them might not live long, but we also have residents who have lived with us 12 or 18 years.”

The facility also has three respite care beds to allow short-stay admis-sion of patients for times when they are

without their live-in caregivers at home. Two Peace Villa beds have been des-ignated for palliative care for patients living in the community and there are three bariatric rooms for obese resi-dents. Eight psychogeriatric beds are set up for mental health care.

With a median age of only 32, Fort St. John is a young, bustling city experi-encing rapid growth with a workforce largely centred around a booming oil and gas industry.

The new facility now serves a popula-tion of about 36,000 in the North Peace region and has been built to accommo-date future growth.

While the area is well-staffed with general practitioners, positions in phys-iotherapy, pharmacology and nursing fields have been difficult to fill and the hope is a brand-new hospital will help with recruiting and retention.

“Some people worked [at the old hos-pital] for 30 years and they’re comfort-able, but at the same time they are excit-ed about their new space,” De Smit said. “It’s bright and colourful and there’s no equipment stacked in the hallways they [used to] have to navigate around. It’s stunning and it’s spacious, it’s quite overwhelming to think we have such a wonderful facility here in the north.”

Moving a living, breathing hospital from one location to another is kind of like changing the engine of an airplane in mid-flight.

Everything has to be accomplished in perfect sync or it all comes crashing down. For staff at Fort St. John Hospi-tal, that move to a brand new facility in late June unfolded without a hitch.

Cont’d on page 30

Fort St. John Hospital and Peace Villa


What is your position with Northern Health? I am the director of capital development and projects,

and a professional engineer. In this role I am responsible for leading the planning work necessary for new facilities, facility renewals and major renovations. I am also responsible for implementing the facility projects on the annual capital plan and am supported in this role by a project manager and two capital planning coordinators.

Describe your family life.We have four children, aged 19, 18, 14 and 12 years old.

The oldest two will be going away to university this Septem-ber and my wife just completed her Master’s in Community Health at UNBC in April so I am looking forward to a more relaxing year than we’ve had for a long time.

Where did you grow up?I grew up in Kitchener, Ontario and spent most of my life

living and working in southern Ontario.

Where do you currently live?We live in Prince George.

What brought you to your community?Northern Health offered me a position in capital planning

here in Prince George.

What’s the most rewarding part about living where you do?The people in Prince George are great. They are very

community-oriented and there are lots of opportunities to participate in a wide range of activities.

Cont’d on page 19

DGS ASTR0 PAVING LTDR0012779222.00x66.0-4CAH21 / 296875

R001277922

Staff Profile

AlbertSommerfeld


REEDER, GARYR0012779472.00x33.0-4CAH21 / 296916 R

001277947

BOB ZIMMER MPR0012779362.00x33.0-4CAH21 / 299626

R001277936


Outdoor recreational activities are also excellent. We live on five acres on the edge of the city with a 15-minute com-mute to work, something that wouldn’t ever have been pos-sible in southern Ontario.

What made you want to enter your field? Engineering is about solving physical problems to improve

our living conditions and advancing society. It’s exciting to see the progress civilization has made from the Greeks and Romans to today and being part of that effort is reward-ing. I have always enjoyed solving problems using a logical process where outcomes can be measured and readily evalu-ated. That’s the essence of engineering.

What is the most rewarding part of your job? Completing a project or solving a problem that materi-

ally improves the physical environment for our patients and the working conditions and lives of our staff. Often the necessary work is intrusive for staff and patients but having a positive end outcome where there is a real improvement makes it all worthwhile.

What is the most challenging part of your job? There are many challenges, as there are in almost any po-

sition in Northern Health. There are always decisions to be made around the best solution for the client group and how that affects other areas in the facility, the best use of limited funds, and addressing the big need for facility improve-ments across all of the health authority. Balancing those competing demands in a best-value manner is challenging. The other big challenge in our department is finding quali-fied architects, engineers and contractors to implement our projects, which is primarily a geographical challenge for our dispersed area.

What do you do to cope with stress? The best stress coping mechanism is to try to keep stress-

ful issues in perspective, knowing that there will always be issues and always be solutions. I also try to maintain a posi-tive attitude in my day-to-day activities which reduces stress for me. My most stressful days happen when I’m grumpy.

Cont’d on page 20

z Albert Sommerfeld



What is your favourite hobby/activity? I like to be outdoors, whether it’s hiking, camping or putter-

ing around the yard. My family has a travel bug for exploring new places as well.

Who has been the most influential person in your life? That’s hard to say. I have had a pretty stable life so my par-

ents, my wife, my kids and my siblings have all influenced me to a big degree. Today I really respect people who work hard and do a good job every day, regardless of their role.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I see the future as being full of opportunities, both here in

the north as well as around the globe. The world has really become a lot smaller over the last 25 years and we can see that with the diversity within Northern Health. For now, I am concentrating on today’s challenges and opportunities and will let the future decide what’s in store for me.

What are your ultimate life goals? To provide my kids, and the rest of society, with better op-

portunities in life than I have been privileged to experience.

z Albert Sommerfeld


As Northern Health starts to build plans for capital projects, it is not only the Province of B.C.

that provides funding, but also the local regional hospital districts. Northern Health has six regional hospital districts located within the region including the Cariboo-Chilcotin Regional Hospital District, Fraser Fort George Regional Hospital District, Stuart Nechako Regional Hospital District, North West Regional Hospital District, Peace River Regional Hospital District (PRRHD), and Northern Rockies Regional Hospital District.

Based on property taxes, each regional hospital district is given a certain amount of funding to utilize for health facility and equipment needs in its region. This primarily includes new facilities, facility renovations, or equip-

ment. Each regional hospital district has a board that makes the decision on how best to utilize the funding.

Northern Health has a very strong re-lationship with all six regional hospital district boards, and makes it a priority to keep lines of communication open with them. In December of each year, Northern Health provides the regional hospital district with a draft plan of the projects and equipment that Northern Health would like to move forward with. Each year, Northern Health receives about $20 million from the six regional hospital districts to move for-ward with capital projects or equipment investments.

With larger capital projects, usually facility replacements, regional hospital districts are asked to contribute more than the typical $20 million per year.

For major capital projects, the overall cost of the project is shared between the province and regional hospital district. For example, for the Fort St. John Hos-pital and Peace Villa project, the PRRHD provided $98 million of the $301.8 mil-lion required. Without the contributions from the regional hospital districts for these large projects, the scale of them would have to be cut back or the project might not be able to go ahead.

Regional hospital districts are an important component to growing health care services in the north. The fund-ing that they provide, their strategic focus on their local region, and their assistance in funding capital projects ensures that Northern Health can move ahead with its strategic direction to deliver high quality health services for all northerners.

Regional Hospital Districtsimportant role in health care

Regional Hospital Districts



Northern Health takes workplace health and safety seriously. To

provide patients the best care possible, it is important to ensure that Northern Health staff work in a safe environment and follow proper safety procedures. There have been a number of initiatives undertaken by Northern Health to help im-prove the health and safety

of its employees and, over the past four years, there has been a decrease in the num-ber of injuries on the job in the B.C. health care system.

There are four areas – the top causes of injuries in health care workers – that health care workplaces are currently focusing on across the province: musculoskel-etal injuries (damage to the skeletal or muscular systems due to strenuous activity);

violence; infectious diseases; and slips, trips and falls. These are the four top causes of injuries in healthcare workers.

To improve the work environment for employ-ees, Northern Health is utilizing lifts for patients for bed transfers and in bathrooms to prevent staff from physically having to lift the patients. The mechani-cal lifts allow staff to safely

transfer or reposition the patient without having to support the weight of the patient, or lift them awk-wardly. As there is no safe technique to physically lift a patient, Workplace Health and Safety is currently implementing a no-lift policy across the board, and now have 565 of these lifts in Northern Health.

Cont’d on page 24

Workplace health safety

Workplace Health and Safety

and

Lifts over the beds at Fort St. John Hospital and Peace Villa.



All sites with over 20 em-ployees in Northern Health are required to have a Joint Occupational Health and Safety (JOHS) committee -- a group of management and union staff that gather to discuss safety issues and ways to improve safety in their work environments. At the University Hospital of Northern BC (UHNBC) in Prince George, the JOHS committee has started de-veloping the Safety Champi-ons program. These Safety Champions will be leaders in their department and work to remind their colleagues about safety standards and maintaining safe work con-ditions.

“Safety is everyone’s busi-ness, it’s not just managers,

clinical educations, work-place health and safety, but it’s everyone’s responsibil-ity to make sure they are working safely and that their co-workers are as well,” said Helen McMillan, Northern Health safety advisor for the northern interior. “The (Safety Champions) are new and came out of the JOHS committee. They seem very enthused about it. It is about raising the awareness that at the end of the day, I work with you and care about you and want you to go home safe.”

Another example is a proj-ect at Parkside Care Facil-ity in Prince George that is implementing a Health and Safety Management system to raise awareness on chang-ing culture. For their first task, to increase awareness

around slips, trips and falls, staff developed a plan to ensure items in the hallway are put away quicker, and items are only stored on one side of the hallway so staff and clients can use the hand-rail on the other side. This awareness campaign has been very successful thus far and is believed to be helping to reduce the number of falls.

At Northern Health, our strategic plan reads that our organization “fosters a safe and healthy work environ-ment.” We value employee health and safety and want to ensure that we do everything possible to make our work environment safe, and encourage staff to make smart decisions when on the job.

z Workplace health and safety


Master planning, a process that Northern Health undertakes to align health services to meet com-munity growth and demographic changes, and to anticipate changes to the health care delivery

in the area, is currently underway for Dawson Creek, Tum-bler Ridge and Quesnel, and soon to begin in Terrace. The master planning process typically takes about nine months to complete, and helps formulate the requests for funding to expand, modify existing facilities or create new facilities that offer new services in a community.

Most of the master planning work is completed by an external consultant, who then presents the information to Northern Health. The process involves gathering the statistics that are regularly generated in Northern Health for each com-munity; for example, determining the number of X-rays con-ducted in a community each year compared to the number that will ensure the clinic is utilized appropriately. Another consideration is the size of the facilities that Northern Health currently operates in the community.

Publicly available statistics can be found on the Northern Health Community Health Information Portal at chip.north-ernhealth.ca. Other information to examine in the master planning process includes population information from the vital statistics PEOPLE database which is based on census in-formation and more local population and other demographic information from villages, districts, and government.

After the information is collected, Northern Health deter-mines how it can best meet the service needs of the commu-nity. This can include expanding a current facility, building a completely new facility, consolidating services, renovating facilities, or taking no action. Typically, a master plan is developed if there is an intention of renovating, building or expanding services in a community to assist with its health care needs. As such, the information gathered in the master planning process will lead to the creation of a business plan to be submitted to the Province of B.C. and regional hospital district, the two funding partners needed for capital projects to move forward.

Master planning is an important process in Northern Health’s planning for the future needs of a community and its health services. The master plans for Quesnel, Dawson Creek, Tumbler Ridge, and Terrace are still moving forward. The master planning process will begin in other communi-ties across the north over the next few years. Before new hospitals were built in Fort St. John, or planned in Burns Lake and Queen Charlotte, the master planning process was undertaken to identify the needs of the community. In the case of Fort St. John, the master planning process helped to determine the need for residential care beds to be connected to the hospital project.

Master planning is a rigorous process that allows Northern Health to move forward with projects and make a stronger case for the need of these new facilities or renovations to our existing facilities.

Master planning


Fort St. John Hospital.

Throughout northern B.C., hospital foundations play an important role in supporting health care. They work with communities and donors

to create and support fundraising programs such as:

• Radiothons (e.g. Dawson Creek’s “Have a Heart” radiothon)

• Special fundraising events (e.g. Prince George’s Festival of Trees)

• Charity dinners and silent auctions

• Fundraising golf tournaments and other sporting events

• Individual donations and bequests

This section outlines the activities of some of northern B.C.’s health care foundations.

Fort St. John Hospital Foundation

The Fort St. John Hospital Foundation is excited to be moving into the new facility and to be able to announce the completion of their $1.2 million Lend Your Hand cam-paign. Through the generosity of their donors, they will be purchasing a digital mammography machine, seven wireless fetal heart monitors, seven kidney dialysis treatment chairs and 55 vital signs monitors for the new hospital.

With the move to the new facility, the foundation will be fundraising in support of both the hospital and Peace Villa facilities. The foundation remains dedicated to working with the community to raise and manage funds to enhance patient care and comfort throughout the entire facility and ensuring whenever possible that the community members are able to remain in their home area to receive the services they require, and remain close to their families and friends for support.

Cont’d on page 28

Health Care Foundations

Health Care Foundations are active throughout the north

Fetal Heart Monitors at Fort St. John Hospital.




Fort Nelson shows love for the lab all year long

The Fort Nelson Hospital Foundation is wrapping up their Love the Lab campaign, a project that will bring a phlebotomy chair and hematology strainer to the Fort Nelson Hos-pital lab. These items will benefit lab-goers, as well as modernize the equipment and practices at the hospital as a whole.

From Christmas cards in December to bed races in May, Fort Nelson is showing their love for the lab, and the equipment is well within reach.

Max Lange Fund benefits Kitimat General Hospital

Born in Kiel, Germany in 1905, Max C. Lange was a long-time resident of Kitimat having worked at Alcan from 1954 until his retirement in 1970. Max passed away on May

23, 1996 in Kitimat.Max left his estate to be administered by trusted

friends to benefit health services at the Kitimat General Hospital. Over 110 capital items have been purchased over the years, utilizing the interest of the estate funds, including such things as high/low beds, a gastroscope and colonosope, IV pumps & towers, a mammography processor, a birthing bed, a fetal monitor, and many more needed items.

Max was a thoughtful, reliable and unassuming man and his memory lives on through his generosity.

Dr. REM Lee Hospital Foundation

The Dr. REM Lee Hospital Foundation presented a cheque to Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace for the purchase of a port-able ultrasound unit in November of 2011. This ultrasound unit has already saved a number of patients’ expensive trips to Vancouver.

z Health Care Foundations

Fort Nelson laboratory department.


A lthough over a year away, Northern Health is excited for the development of its new staff

learning centre.The $10 million building will be the

centrepiece for the meeting of medical minds -- giving doctors, nurses, physio-therapists, occupational therapists, and speech language pathologists a venue for guest speakers and the means to share their own knowledge and ideas with the rest of the world.

“Anything that improves the edu-cation of health care professionals, improves patient care,” said Dr. Bert Kelly, executive director of the Northern Medical Society.

“The guy in Dease Lake can’t be coming down here every afternoon for a meeting, but there’s no reason why technology can’t bring him into the room. It’s vital for him to be up to date. One of the reasons rural areas have

trouble recruiting doctors is they feel cut off and it’s the same with nurses and all medical staff. They feel isolated, and they are, but technology’s gotten around all that now.”

Kelly said the new facility will put Prince George and its health facilities on a more level playing field with Kelowna, which received a provincially-built medical learning centre three years ago.

Unlike Kelowna’s staff learning cen-tre, the 150-seat Prince George building won’t be shaped like a traditional am-phitheatre, with seated guests looking down on a stage or central speaker’s platform. Instead, to allow one or more meetings to run concurrently, the build-ing will have moveable walls that can easily be changed to suit the needs of the user groups.

“We wanted a meeting area which would be versatile and it’s not just for physicians, it’s for everybody,” said

Kelly. “We need to be able to accommo-date diverse groups.”

Northern Health is considering sev-eral locations. One option would be to add a third floor to the Jubilee Lodge residential care facility at the south end of the hospital building closest to 15th Avenue, rather than a stand-alone building.

“Northern Health wants it to be a new building, so that would add to the cost, and the technology going into this thing is costly,” said Kelly. “We see our medi-cal community building up over the next few years because we do have to service northern British Columbia and know that this size of a building is defi-nitely going to be required. The decision has been made to have it on the hospital campus, not the university campus.”


Hospital Learning Centre a meeting place for medical minds

Hospital Learning Centre



A project four years in the making from when it was first announced in April 2008 is now serving patients who occupy the hospital and adjacent Peace Villa residen-tial care centre.

The idea of moving 45 acute care hospital patients on June 21 was a compli-cated process that required orchestrated teamwork and timing. Depending on the condition of the patient, they were transported by bus or by ambulance to the new hospital, about a

4 1/2-minute drive away. That started at 6 a.m. with the closure of the hospital to new patients, which coincided with the opening of the new emergency ward and operating rooms. The patients were on the move at 8 a.m., following break-fast, and by lunchtime they were getting used to their new surroundings.

“Every four minutes, we basically [moved] a patient to the new facility,” said Angela De Smit, Northern Health’s health service administrator for North Peace. “The benefit was

having consultants who have done this many times. They were asking questions like ‘How do we manage a woman who’s in labour who may be imminent during the move.’”

For advice on planning the move, Northern Health turned to Health Care Re-locations (HCR) of Victo-ria, a company that’s been involved in more than 250 hospital and health centre moves across North Amer-ica. HCR spent six months developing move teams, including registered nurses, housekeeping staff to clean beds, hospital support staff, bus drivers and B.C. Ambu-lance Service attendants, to plan the move to minimize risks to patients. Beds had to be cleaned and placed in the new hospital before the patents arrived.

Protocols had to be worked out to determine who was responsible for putting patients on stretch-ers, how they were strapped in to keep them secure, and whose task it was to move them to the waiting vehi-cles. Four BCAS ambulances

were utilized, leaving two other ambulances available to serve the other needs of the city in the event of an emergency during the move.

A critical care transport team arrived, prepared to transfer as many as three patients from the hospital’s intensive care unit.

The whole operation had to proceed quickly, because hospital staff were spread out over two facilities. Once the last patient had left, the building was officially closed.

The move of longer-term patients in residential care from three separate facilities was accomplished June 24-26. North Peace Care Centre sent 87 patients to Peace Villa, and the following day, 26 of 28 residents from Peace River Haven, a long-term residential care facil-ity in Pouce Coupe, were moved to the hospital site. Two residents from Rotary Manor in Dawson Creek are also now at Peace Villa.


z Fort St. John Hospital and Peace Villa


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A Healthier You - July