A contract to finance, build, and own a new 75-bed long-term care home in Nelson has been awarded to a partnership between Golden Life Management and the Columbia Basin Trust.
The province announced today that what has been dubbed the Nelson Health Campus is expected to be complete in September 2024. It will be built on the site of Mount Saint Francis, which was demolished this year, to the dismay of heritage advocates.
A news release from the province says Interior Health will lease and operate the facility, which will also amalgamate some existing health services on the site.
The news comes more than two years after the government announced plans for such a facility on the site. Interior Health told us earlier this year that they were still negotiating with a proponent.
Mount St. Francis was built in the late 1940s and operated by the Sisters of St. Ann. Interior Health closed the facility in 2005 after Mountain Lake Seniors Community was built nearby. The building stood vacant until last year, when demolition began.
According to the news release, the new facility will have private bedrooms and bathrooms, along with dining and activity spaces, outdoor courtyards and patios. It will also include office and clinical space, to consolidate the services from the Gordon Road Wellness Centre and Nelson Health Centre in the pink government building on Victoria Street.
The facility will be paid for by the provincial government and West Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital district in a 60-40 split.
Golden Life runs several assisted-living facilities throughout the Kootenays, including Lake View Village in Nelson.
“Moving this project forward puts the vision of a Nelson Health Campus one step closer to reality,” Mayor John Dooley said in the release.
“This addresses the need for long-term care beds for Nelson and improves access to community services. I thank all involved for keeping this much-needed facility front and centre.”
