The new Fort St. James hospital sitting behind the original

By Sam Bennison

Health

New Fort St. James Hospital is substantially complete

Oct 8, 2024 | 4:29 PM

FORT ST. JAMES—The current Stuart Lake Hospital opened in 1972 and the government admits its has been outdated for years. Talks of replacing the building have been going on for over a decade but as of October 8, 2024, the new hospitals’ construction is substantially complete. While it took a long time to get here officials are just happy to see that the new hospital is almost ready to see patients, adding the old hospital served them well.

“It would be frustrating if we didn’t have doctors and nurses to be there but when the people come in for care, the doctors and nurses are there,” says the Martin Elphee, the Mayor of Fort St.James. “Yes it’s a bit antiquated, it’s a little rough around the edges but its served its’ purpose.”

With a price tag of $158.3 million from the province and an additional $18.4 million the Stuart Nechako Regional Hospital District. The new hospital is triple the size with an emergency department containing two treatment rooms, a trauma and ambulance bay, a laboratory, and a diagnostic imaging area. There will also be 27 beds including 18 long-term care beds. Something that Murial Sam of the Nak’azdli Whut’en says is extremely important for the community.

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“We’re losing our elders and we really want to keep them home with their families,” says Murial Sam.

The hospital will not just benefit the nearby communities of Fort St. James and Nak’azdli but will also serve even more rural and remote communities such as Binche and Yekooche.

While the new hospital is substantially complete, it won’t be open to patients until January 2025; after the provincial election. This means it will be the job of the next government to staff the place.

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Email: sam.bennison@pattisonmedia.com