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Oncology
Northern BC cancer centre moving ahead
PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – The BC Cancer
Agency Centre for the North project has taken a major step forward with
the signing of the final partnership agreement with Plenary Health.
The announcement was made on behalf of Health Services Minister Kevin
Falcon by the Prince George-area MLAs.
“A tremendous milestone for patients living with cancer in northern B.C.
has been reached,” said Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond. “For
the first time ever, patients will have greater access to cancer-care
services – such as radiation therapy – in Prince George. The opportunity
to be close to your loved ones when receiving cancer treatment will
undoubtedly make a difference in the quality of life for both patients
and their families. I am proud of this achievement and eagerly await the
completion of this cancer centre in 2012.”
The new, 5,000-square-metre (54,000-square-foot) Centre for the North
will include two linear accelerators, which are used in the delivery of
radiation therapy; one computerized-tomography (CT) simulator; a
chemotherapy treatment unit; a pharmacy; general outpatient clinics;
professional staff offices; and a parkade.
The Centre for the North is a critical component of the Northern Cancer
Control Strategy (NCCS), a partnership of the Province, BC Cancer Agency
(BCCA), the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) and Northern
Health. The strategy is also focused on other capital developments,
including:
• Renovations to the University Hospital of Northern B.C.(UHNBC) to
accommodate a new six-bed oncology unit; an expansion of pathology,
laboratory and diagnostic imaging services; and additional support and
office space.
• Enhancement of cancer services in various Northern Health sites across
the North.
• The acquisition of new equipment and information technology, such as
telehealth capability, at these sites to accommodate expansion of
community cancer clinics.
The total capital cost of Northern Cancer Control Strategy is $102.8
million. The Centre for the North and the parkade will be delivered as a
public-private partnership and the capital cost is fixed at $69.9
million. Other capital components of the NCCS will be procured using the
traditional delivery model and the capital costs are $32.9 million. This
includes a capital contribution from the FFGRHD of up to $4 million
toward the renovations to UHNBC, which will support the new cancer
centre.
The cancer centre will have a unique design element. “One of our key
project objectives was to use wood construction where practical,” said
Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Pat Bell. “Construction of the cancer centre
will use nearly 656,000 board feet of wood which, if laid end to end,
would stretch from Prince George to Mackenzie.”
“As part of our commitment to environmental sustainability, the Centre
for the North will be designed and built to achieve LEED Gold
certification. One of the key design features will be a green, ‘living’
roof – the first of its kind in Prince George,” said Nechako Lakes MLA
John Rustad.
“We are very pleased to finally be moving ahead with construction plans
for our new Centre for the North in Prince George,” said Dr. David Levy,
president, of the BCCA, an agency of the PHSA. “The centre will not only
bring new services to the North, such as radiation therapy, but also
provide co-ordination and support for the delivery of high-quality
cancer care and research across the entire region.”
“The new facility will help to further enhance cancer care and treatment
services across the region as part of the Northern Cancer Control
Strategy,” said PHSA board chair Wynne Powell. “The agency’s – and
PHSA’s – ongoing partnership with Northern Health and the Ministry of
Health Services is helping ensure that northern residents have improved
access to high-quality cancer care.”
“The Centre for the North will both complement and enhance the work of
our current network of community cancer clinics in Northern Health sites
across the region,” said Dr. Charles Jago, Northern Health board chair.
“Both staff and residents can look forward to increased access to care,
including teleoncology appointments with specialists and other regional
service supports.”
The Centre for the North project is a partnership between the BC Cancer
Agency and Plenary Health. The signing of the final agreement signals
the end of negotiations and the finalization of a fixed-price,
performance-based partnership agreement with Plenary Health to design,
build, finance and maintain the cancer centre and parkade for a 30-year
term.
The benefit of a fixed-price agreement means that Plenary Health assumes
all construction (cost and schedule), design, long-term maintenance and
operational risks, as well as other costs related to the project. All
clinical services will be funded by the Province and provided by the
BCCA and Northern Health, in keeping with the principles of the Canada
Health Act.
Construction will be undertaken in phases. The Centre for the North will
displace over 200 parking spots on the UHNBC site; therefore, both
temporary parking and a permanent parkade will be constructed prior to
the groundbreaking for the cancer centre, scheduled for late summer
2010. Completion of the cancer centre is scheduled for September 2012.
The Province is making record investments in health-care facilities in
northern B.C., including the Centre for the North and the $297.9-million
Fort St. John Hospital and Residential Care project. Over the next three
years, British Columbia’s health-care system will benefit from
investments such as new medical equipment and modernized health
facilities as part of a $2.9-billion health-sector capital plan.
Posted Jan. 28, 2010
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