St. Paul’s Hospital in downtown Vancouver moving to new site: health authority

VANCOUVER – St. Paul’s Hospital in downtown Vancouver will be relocated to a new site as the century-old facility makes way for a modern hospital three kilometres away.

Providence Health Care announced the hospital that is known for providing care to AIDS patients and seniors will include residential care beds at its new state-of-the-art location.

Providence says the current site would require over $80 million in noisy seismic upgrades that would need to be done in stages and takes years to complete.

The announcement ended years of speculation about the fate of St. Paul’s, with opponents saying Vancouver needs a downtown hospital to serve the needs of an aging population.

Dr. Dan Kalla, who heads the hospital’s emergency department, says the new 18.5-acre site near the city’s False Creek will include expanded services that can’t be added to the current facility.

Those include mental health and addiction beds, a low-risk birthing centre and end-of-life care.