A sneak peak of Kamloops’ hospital expansion

KAMLOOPS – Construction on the Royal Inland Hospital expansion continues and the media was offered a glimpse inside to check out the progress yesterday, March 4.

The clinical services building, including its bridge connecting the hospital, is scheduled to open by August 15. An additional 350 parking spots will be available in a parkade located at the bottom of the structure, which is expected to open July 25.

The first level of the building will be an educational space for the UBC medical program. Family medicine students will be able to apply their knowledge with examination rooms and also participate in lectures within the amphitheatre space on the same floor.

The second level is reserved for outpatient services which will be transferred over from the existing hospital. If you need to access the older building a bridge walkway is provided. The services building will have several outpatient areas for cardiopulmonary diagnostics, neurodiagnostics, community respiratory therapy, IV therapy and vascular improvement.

There will also be an outpatient lab on site, along with electrocardiogram services, pre-surgical screening and operating room booking.

“We’re just transferring over existing services and improving the services that we have,” Health services administrator Carol Faberge says.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Glynn Brothen at gbrothen@infonews.ca or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.