Construction on the new Leader Integrated Health Care Facility will begin in December, following the awarding of the construction tender to Wright Construction Western Inc. today.
Tag Archives: Leader Integrated Facility
Planning Continues for Leader Capital Project
The Cypress Health Region is continuing planning and design work on the previously announced capital construction project in Leader. The project remains a top priority of the Cypress Health Region.
“We have experienced some unfortunate delays due to construction costs that came in higher than expected, however we want to reaffirm our commitment to this important project,” commented Brenda Schwan, Vice President – Continuing Care and Capital Project Lead for Cypress Health. “We are working very hard to ensure that this project can be delivered within the available capital budget and are looking forward to integrating all of Leader’s health services into a comprehensive facility.”
Since an announcement in January that the initial call for tenders was cancelled due to higher than anticipated construction costs, health region staff have been working collaboratively with project partners and stakeholders to create a revised design. This work includes extensive consultations with the project’s architectural partner, aodbt architecture + interior design, to identify potential revisions that will reduce the overall cost while not affecting the provision of health programs and services.
“The design revisions that are being completed still incorporate the valuable feedback that we received from staff, physicians, community members, municipal stakeholders, patient representatives, and others. The revisions have also factored in how construction can be completed in a more cost effective way. We are confident that we can finalize a revised design that fits within the project’s budget,” added Schwan.
The health region is currently working to complete a new submission to the Ministry of Health that includes drawings, specifications, and updated budget figures. Following that the finalized drawings will be submitted to allow for a new tender to be issued. It is anticipated that the updated design could be ready for tendering in the coming months.
The Leader capital project includes the addition of acute care, emergency medical services, and a universal care unit to the existing Western Senior Citizens Home. The $12 million project will result in a continuum of health services within one integrated facility.
To read more information on the project please visit the Building Excellence in Rural Health – Leader webpage.
Tender to be Re-Issued for Leader Capital Project
Following extensive efforts and multiple reviews of submitted construction tenders for the integration of health care facilities in Leader, the Cypress Health Region has cancelled the initial ‘call for construction tenders’ process. The inability to award the construction tender at this time was directly due to the proposed tender submissions being substantially higher than the budgeted capital construction amount approved by the provincial Ministry of Health and Cypress Health Region.
The health region is continuing to work with local staff, the Ministry of Health and the project’s architectural partner, AODBT Architecture, to revise the overall design of the project and prepare documents for a second ‘call for construction tenders’. The revised design will attempt to incorporate the required changes that will meet the overall approved budgeted capital construction amount.
“We are very disappointed that the construction tender award cannot be completed at this time,” commented Brenda Schwan, Vice President of Continuing Care and Capital Project Lead for the health region. “Following the receipt of the initial tenders and subsequent efforts to find some efficiencies, it became clear that the bidding companies’ proposals would not meet the available budget.”
Extensive planning and design work has been completed on the proposed amalgamation of all health services under one roof. Staff and physicians, patient and family representatives, community members, municipal stakeholders, and the project’s architectural consultants have provided their input and feedback into the new integrated facility design.
Schwan added that the previous work will continue to be utilized in the re-design of the integrated facility project and that the working groups will be involved in the next steps. “We have identified several potential revisions to the current design that will not affect the provision of health programs and services, but will reduce the overall construction costs,” added Schwan. “Our working groups will develop a new design that will meet the capital construction budget for the project, and we look forward to the distribution of another call for tenders in the near future.”
The health region would like to emphasize that the facility integration project for Leader remains a top priority. They would like to express their gratitude to the municipal councils for their financial commitment to the project, to the variety of fundraising efforts being undertaken for future equipment and furnishings needs, and to the staff and working groups for their planning efforts.
The proposed capital project includes the addition of acute care, emergency medical services and universal care unit, along with renovations to the existing Western Senior Citizens Home to accommodate the integration of health services. The project will result in a continuum of health services being located under one roof at the current location of the Western Senior Citizens Home.
As more updates are available in relation to the progress and status of the construction tender process, they will be passed along to the staff and public.
Leader Health Care Facility Integration Process Delayed
Planning and design work for the integration of health care facilities in the community of Leader have been ongoing for many months. Discussions and design efforts have included representatives from the Leader health services staff, patient and/or family individuals, members of the architectural team, community stakeholders, and the Cypress Health Region.
A call for construction tenders was recently distributed and there was significant interest expressed from a variety of bidding companies. However, when the tender proposals were opened, it was discovered that the lowest tender was substantially higher than the budgeted capital construction amount approved by the provincial Ministry of Health.
Since the initial review of the tender documents, the Cypress Health Region has had discussions with the Ministry of Health and the project’s architectural partner, AODBT Architecture, to identify the next steps in the process. It was determined that a further detailed review of the submitted tenders will be undertaken in an attempt to identify any efficiencies.
As a result of this delay in the construction tender award process, the scheduled official sod turning event on November 13th has been postponed until further notice. It will be rescheduled in the future.
“Along with the staff, municipal partners, and community we are very disappointed with the results of the call for tenders,” said Brenda Schwan, Cypress Health’s Vice President of Human Resources and Capital Projects. “However, we want to emphasize that the project has not been cancelled and this is merely a bump in the road towards the start of construction on our health facility integration capital project.”
Schwan added that the health region will continue to work with its project partners and the Leader project planning committee members to move the project forward towards the start of construction. “Together with the Ministry of Health, we remain committed and want to see this capital project move forward so that the overall patient care experience can be enhanced with health services all under one roof.”
The proposed capital project included the addition of acute care, ambulance/emergency medical services and universal care unit, along with renovations to the existing Western Senior Citizens Home to accommodate the integration of health services. It was anticipated that construction would begin in November 2015 and that the project would be complete in the summer of 2017. The project will result in a continuum of health services being located under one roof at the current location of the Western Senior Citizens Home.
As more updates are available in relation to the progress and status of the construction tender process, they will be passed along to the staff and public.
Leader Project Moves to Call for Construction Tenders Phase
With the start of construction for the integration of health facilities in the community of Leader just around the corner, the Cypress Health Region has received Ministry of Health approval to release the tender documents for the construction/renovation for the new integrated facility. The call for tenders was released on September 15th and will conclude on October 15th.
The ‘call for tenders’ process will allow potential General Contractors to finalize their construction proposal in relation to overall project cost, timelines for completion, strategies for attaining the objectives of the integrated facility’s model of care, and other relevant construction issues. The contractors will be expected to have a strong collaborative partnership with Cypress Health and the Ministry of Health during the construction process.
“We are very appreciative of the community and staff’s continuing excitement for the start of construction,” stated Brenda Schwan, Vice President of Human Resources and Capital Projects for the Cypress Health Region. “This call for construction tenders is one of the last major steps prior to the start of construction and we are looking forward to finalizing the General Contractor who will be a vital partner of our project team during the next two years.”
The bids will be publicly opened on October 16th. They will be reviewed and evaluated by the Project Team, which will be followed by an approximate 1-2 week timeline for the Ministry of Health and Cypress Health Region to approve and award the contract. Discussions with the successful General Contractor regarding the initiation of the next steps will begin immediately after the award is completed. It is anticipated that on-site construction will begin in early November 2015.
The construction project will consist of an addition to the existing Western Senior Citizens Home and related renovations to the existing building to accommodate the addition. Features of the project will include:
- 11 universal care unit treatment rooms – physicians, nurse practitioner, public health, community and mental health, home care, and visiting professional services will be located in this area. The programming for this area is based on a new model of care which encourages deeper collaboration between health providers and reduces the amount of locations one has to travel to in order to receive a continuum of health services.
- Therapies suite
- 5 acute care inpatient rooms
- 1 isolation acute care room – will serve as a new service not currently available at the Leader Hospital
- 1 trauma/emergency bed
- Laboratory and x-ray service
- 1 family overnight suite
- A new 12-bed long term care wing will be constructed to replace an existing Western Seniors Citizens Home wing, which will be renovated to provide other services in the integrated facility. During the period that the new long term care wing will be built, affected residents will be temporarily relocated into a dedicated area of the Leader Hospital.
Schwan added that the staff, patient family representatives, and community members have been very busy over the past several months in finalizing the facility design and construction parameters. “Their dedication to designing the little extras will go a long way to ensuring that the care offered in the facility will be as effective as possible,” stated Schwan. “The input of the staff and others has been tremendous and well
received.”
Construction is anticipated to be complete by summer 2017.
Planning for Long Term Care During Construction in Leader
Planning and design work for the new integrated healthcare facility in the community of Leader continues. The Cypress Health Region is working with its staff, Western Senior Citizens’ residents and their families to develop a temporary plan to address the needs of long term care programming in Leader while construction is taking place.
The approved construction project will see the integration of all Cypress Health provided programs and services under one roof, and will be located at the current Western Senior Citizens’ site. An addition will be constructed to provide for acute care inpatient beds, laboratory and x-ray services, universal care unit (including primary health care clinic, community health services, and home care), and drive through ambulance bays. A new twelve long term care bed wing will be constructed, with the existing southern long term care wing being renovated to provide support areas for the entire building.
Since the Minister of Health announcement of the $12 million capital construction project occurred in September 2014, a series of planning and design meetings have been held with Leader health staff, patient and family representatives, community members and municipal councils of the area. These discussions have developed the external footprint for the construction, reviewed the relevant flows of patient/resident/client and staff that need to occur within the new integrated building, and have resulted in an internal blueprint where services and rooms will be physically located.
One of the current issues being discussed with stakeholder groups is the temporary plan that is required to provide quality long term care programming for eleven resident beds which will be temporarily relocated during the construction period. On June 4th, the health region held a series of consultation meetings with their union partners, municipal council representatives, Leader health staff, and long term care families to provide an update on the planning and design work and discuss the options moving forward.
“In order to ensure resident safety and comfort, we realize that a temporary relocation of some long term care beds will be necessary during the construction period,” commented Sherry Miller, Health Services Manager for the community of Leader. “However, we want to ensure the residents and their families that the relocation of beds within our community is key, versus being temporarily transferred to other neighbouring communities.”
Miller acknowledged the vital importance of working with the staff and families to identify the options and processes for the temporary relocation of beds. “During our initial planning, our group had determined that temporary capacity is available at Western and the Hospital to accommodate the temporary relocation,” added Miller. “Now we have to get the input from our staff and families to examine the actual rooms that will be utilized and how we will provide the quality programming from two physical locations.”
Staff members were being asked to discuss and examine options for several issues relating to the temporary relocation of some long term care beds. These included identifying areas and specific rooms within Western Seniors Home and the Hospital which could be utilized, what types of temporary renovations would be required to accommodate the transition, what pieces of equipment would be required at the temporary location, what should be considered when determining the resident mix for relocation, and the care provision considerations when taking into account additional residents at the Hospital and fewer residents at Western Seniors.
Construction and renovation efforts for the new integrated healthcare facility are anticipated to begin in October 2015.
Leader Project Moves to Request for Proposals Stage
Work on the new integrated facility in Leader, SK has moved to the next phase of the construction process. The Cypress Health Region is advertising a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the project, inviting qualified architectural design firms to bid on the job of leading the team and subconsultants by providing consulting and design services.
On September 22, 2014, Saskatchewan Minister of Health Dustin Duncan announced a new $12 million expansion to the existing Western Senior Citizens Home in the town of Leader. The project will renovate and expand the existing long-term care facility and includes the attachment of acute care, community health services, primary health care, and ambulance services.
Brenda Schwan, Executive Director of Human Resources for the Cypress Health Region, is the project lead and emphasizes the region’s excitement in moving to the next step of the process.
“This capital project in Leader is one that’s been on our region’s priority list for a number of years and it’s exciting for both the community and the region to be moving into the RFP stage. We anticipate strong interest in the RFP and continue to look forward to the construction of this facility that, once finished, will greatly improve the delivery of health services in Leader,” Schwan commented.
The RFP is being publicly advertised on various tendering service websites. It highlights the need for the project to be designed in a way that truly integrates the community’s health services. Submissions will be evaluated against a number of pre-determined criteria. The deadline for RFP submissions is November 19, 2014. The health region will then interview and negotiate with short listed proponents and anticipate the successful candidate to be selected in the beginning of December.
Once the successful proponent is selected, the project will then advance to the schematic and detail design phases. The facility is being designed utilizing the patient-centred 3P (production, preparation, process) method that will help maximize patient flow. Construction is anticipated to begin in summer 2015.
For more information on the Leader capital project please visit the Building Excellence in Rural Health page on the region’s website.
Integrated Facility Announced
A new integrated facility will deliver health services in one location in the community of Leader, improving patient access and quality of care to residents. The $12 million project will renovate and expand the existing Western Senior Citizens Home long-term care facility to include acute care, community health services, primary health care and ambulance services.
“This innovative approach to deliver health care services under one roof will provide better and timelier care to the people of Leader and surrounding area,” Health Minister Dustin Duncan said. “The new facility will address the aging infrastructure needs in the community and support recruitment and retention efforts of physicians and nurse practitioners to the area.”
For full details please visit the Saskatchewan website.
Planning Begins for Transition of Health Services into Leader Hospital Building
The Cypress Health Region has reinitiated discussions with Leader health care staff, physicians, and other community stakeholders to begin the planning processes for an eventual move of primary health care clinic and community health services to the Leader Hospital building. A series of meetings with staff, physicians, union partner, and municipal council leaders were held on July 2 in Leader.
The meetings were scheduled to re-introduce the proposed transition of services from one building to another, identify various options that could be used to collectively plan for such a transfer, identify strategies for staff/physician/patients to be involved in the planning process, and to discuss the timelines associated with such a transition.
“For the past several years, we have been discussing this option with our staff in regards to the transition of services into the Hospital building to take advantage of having a combination of health providers under one roof,” said Gloria Illerbrun, Executive Director of Health Services for Cypress Health. “In addition to the benefits of integrating acute, primary and community-based services at the Hospital, there are some infrastructure concerns at the Clinic that are a part of the decision making process as well.”
Back in 2012, introductory discussions were held with health care staff and community members in relation to the transfer of services and staff from the Community Health Services building to the Hospital. The transfer was put on hold at the time due to the anticipation of approval for an integrated health facility capital project that would see an addition to the Western Senior Citizens Nursing Home for other services.
Cypress Health and community leaders continue to advocate for a capital project that would include an addition for acute care, community health, primary health care, and ambulance services. Along with the physical addition to the Western Seniors site, some minor renovations to the existing building would also be part of the proposed capital project.
“The development of an integrated facility concept in the community remains a top priority for the health region,” added Illerbrun. “Having the ability to provide all of the health service programming in one location would provide many benefits for our patients, clients, and staff alike.”
Over the next several months, discussions will continue to be held with staff, physicians, patients, and the community in relation to the planning and design for the transition of services. As part of the discussions, the extent of required renovations to the Hospital building to accommodate the transferred services will be determined. The anticipated transfer of services is tentatively being scheduled for late 2014.