Vancouver Island Health Authority

┬áA new approachGary Toushek investigates how Vancouver is planning for the healthcare needs of the elderly with its Residential Care and Assisted Living Capacity Initiative. Vancouver Island, British Columbia, is famous for its temperate climate and idyllic surroundings that attract retirees, which today means mostly empty-nesters over the age of 50. ItÔÇÖs a group that includes joggers, golfers, boaters and other active people, as well as more sedentary and slower-moving seniors: overall, a group that increasingly requires more healthcare services. Healthcare in Canada is a provincial responsibility, and in British Columbia itÔÇÖs the single largest component of the governmentÔÇÖs budget. In 2002 the current government streamlined 52 health regions with competing or overlapping mandates into six health authorities, one being the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA), which provides a network of hospitals, clinics, health centers and residential facilities for more than 730,000 residents of Vancouver Island, the islands in the Georgia Strait, and the mainland communities north of Powell River and south of Rivers Inlet. In 2005 VIHA completed a five-year strategic plan to anticipate changing healthcare needs in the areas it serves and to determine its priorities to 2010. With its higher proportion of elderly residents, VIHA projected a significant increase in future demand for long-term care services and recognized the need to create new capacity, as well as renovate or replace outdated care facilities.The Residential Care and Assisted Living Capacity Initiative includes approximately 1,050 new long-term care beds to be completed by the end of this year, in eight different local health areas (LHAs)ÔÇöGreater Victoria, Sooke, Cowichan/Duncan, Nanaimo, Parksville/Qualicum, Port Alberni, Comox/Courtenay, and Campbell RiverÔÇöwith an additional 180 beds by 2010 and development potential for an additional 300 beds in the future.Long-term care includes complex care (defined as 24-hour professional care in a residential setting for seniors and people with significant physical or cognitive disabilities) and assisted living, self-contained apartments where people receive personal care and hospitality services such as meals, housekeeping and laundry services, recreational opportunities, assistance with medications, mobility and other care needs, and access to a 24-hour response system.VIHA worked with provincial agencies BC Housing (which delivers social housing programs) and Partnerships BC (which brings together ministries, agencies and the private sector to develop projects through public-private partnerships) to initiate and manage the procurement process to invite proposals from not-for-profit and independent operators to build and operate this projectÔÇÖs facilities.VIHA approved and contracted Ahmon Group to build and operate two of the new facilities, Selkirk Place in Victoria and Sanford Place in Parksville. Construction is contracted by Ahmon to the Lark Group, with which it has a longstanding successful relationship. Another residence, Sunridge Place in Duncan, was proposed, won and constructed by Jones Corporate Group, which in turn asked Ahmon to partner with it as operator.Ahmon Group is one of the largest privately owned, publicly funded operators of senior residential beds in British Columbia, founded by CEO Michael AhmonÔÇÖs father 30 years ago to provide around-the-clock, long-term care for seniors.VIHAÔÇÖs procurement process for the Residential Care and Assisted Living Capacity Initiative ÔÇ£could be called innovative,ÔÇØ says Ahmon, ÔÇ£because they did an island-wide process for all nine or ten projects with one template, which they produced in conjunction with Partnerships BC, through one ad posted in the newspaper inviting proposals. We submitted two proposals, for Victoria and Parksville, and both were accepted. Jones submitted one for Duncan, and we were asked by Jones to partner with them, and we agreed. We have a very good reputation. Normally, procurement is for one project at a time, so instead of several separate calls for proposals, VIHA decided to do it in one fell swoop and with some tight timelines.ÔÇØThe next major project for VIHA is designing and constructing a new $300 million Patient Care Center (meeting LEED Gold standards) for patients who need overnight care at VictoriaÔÇÖs Royal Jubilee Hospital. The project includes an upgrade of the hospitalÔÇÖs boiler plant systems to support the new building and other enhanced services, and additional parking areas. ISL Health (a consortium which includes Lark Group) was named as the preferred proponent to design, build, finance and maintain the new 500-bed hospital addition. Completion of the project is expected in 2011.┬á