Signs at the new Fort St. James hospital, about 160 kilometres northwest of Prince George, welcome visitors in both English and Dakelh.
Inside, there is a spiritual gathering space with special ventilation built in to allow for smudging — a cultural ceremony involving burning items such as sweetgrass, spruce bows and tobacco.
These touches bring pride to Lauretta Prince, an events co-ordinator with the Nak’azdli Whut’en First Nation, one of several First Nations who will be served by the new hospital in a region whose identity is up to 40 per cent Indigenous.
“It brings great diversity and inclusiveness,” she said. “It just makes a world of difference.”
Officially open to patients on Jan. 20, the new hospital replaces an aging 12-bedroom facility built out of trailers in 1972.
Discussions about replacing the old hospital started in 2008, and plans to begin construction were approved in 2018. Health Minister Josie Osborne said in a statement that it is important that members of the communities around Fort St. James be able to receive care closer to home rather than having to travel to Prince George or Vancouver.
Reflecting that, the new hospital has 18 long-term care beds and nine acute-care beds, as well as an expanded emergency department, trauma bay and a laboratory and diagnostic imaging space for a total cost of roughly $158 million.
Judy Greenaway, chair of the Stuart-Nechako Regional Hospital District, which funded approximately $18.4-million of that cost, said it’s hoped that the new facility will not only ease the burden on patients in the region but help attract more medical professionals to live and work in Fort St. James.
Northern Health board chair Colleen Nyce agreed, saying in a statement that “having all health services under one roof is going to simplify care, making it more efficient for patients and health-care providers alike.”
Prince says while access to the upgraded medical facilities is important, having the hospital reflect the culture and language of the region is just as valuable.
She said the hospital’s location and construction allow patients to feel surrounded by nature, with views of the water, trees and sky that connect so many people to the community. “This brings a welcoming environment to people … it just makes a world of difference,” she said.
She said aside from smudging, the spiritual gathering space built into the hospital can also be used to grieve and celebrate major life events which often take place in medical buildings.
“The old hospital does not have any of that,” she said. “It’s beautiful.”
