Through the RFQ process, the Provincial Health Services Authority will identify a short list of as many as three qualified proponents that will be invited to participate in the next step of the competitive selection process, the request for proposal (RFP) stage. That will determine which proponent will be chosen to lead the design and construction of the project.
The RFQ process is expected to be finalized this fall, followed by the RFP process. Construction is expected to start in 2025.
The centre will be for young people living with complex, chronic conditions who have difficulty performing routine daily and typical activities without assistance; have significant caregiving requirements; and frequently use the provincial health-care and social systems.
The centre will support children, families, caregivers and health-care providers through care coordination, training and education. These services, offered online and in person, mean that no matter where a child lives, specialized and responsive support is available when needed. Families that need extra support will be able to stay in suites at the centre overnight when adjusting to transitions, such as going from the hospital to home, starting at a new school, or transitioning to adult care.
The building design offers innovative, accessible spaces, such as a feature ramp, an all-Nations space and Indigenous healing garden, and a wellness walk through the mature grove of trees. It will also include therapy rooms, recreation spaces, a dining area and a teaching kitchen to support wellness, learning and community building for families.
The centre will be at the former site of the Sunny Hill Health Centre in East Vancouver, which was relocated to the main campus of BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre in August 2020. There will be close links between the services provided at the new site and those provided at the BC Children’s Hospital campus on Oak Street. The new services will not replicate the acute services provided at BC Children’s Hospital.
The estimated cost of the project is $221.8 million, funded with a $20-million contribution from the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, $8.9 million from the City of Vancouver for the child daycare centre, and the balance from the Province through the Provincial Health Services Authority.
A 74-space child care centre will also be built on the site, which will be operated independently from the complex-care centre. The City of Vancouver is contributing half of the cost of the child care centre.
- As of 2018, there were approximately 7,800 children with health complexity who accessed services at BC Children’s Hospital, of which 20% lived outside the Lower Mainland.
- It is estimated that by 2035, more than 9,000 children and young people living with health complexity will require the type of support the complex-care centre will offer.
- The term, children and youth living with health complexity, was chosen to describe this population of children and youth because the term is less medicalized and prioritizes how a child can live with their health complexity.
Susan Wannamaker, executive vice-president, Clinical Service Delivery, Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) –
“Families of children with health complexity access services at BC Children’s Hospital, as well as other health authorities and other ministries, such as the Ministry of Children and Family Development. At PHSA, we’re deeply committed to collaboration with ministries and health authorities, and with our Indigenous partners to offer a more integrated approach that works for families. We are working in partnership to create a set of services at the centre for children and youth with health complexity that will improve quality of life and health outcomes for these children and families, and enhance cultural safety.”
Sarah Bell, chief operating officer, BC Children’s Hospital –
“We’ve been hearing clearly from families and caregivers of children with health complexity that they’re struggling due to gaps in coordination of services. Exhaustion and burnout are extremely common. That’s why we’re working closely with families to design an innovative program of services at the new centre that will address some of those gaps by offering services that improve the coordination of care within and across systems and build capacity within the child’s circle of care and community. We want to do everything we can to improve the quality of life for these children and their families.”
Malcolm Berry, president and CEO, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation –
“BC Children’s Hospital Foundation is pleased to partner with the Provincial Health Services Authority and BC Children’s Hospital to create a new first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art centre in Canada for children and youth living with health complexity. This centre will have a significant and positive impact on the thousands of children and youth, and their families living in B.C. and the Yukon, who require specialized health-care support. The foundation is proud to support this critically needed centre.”
