Families in Nelson and nearby communities will soon be able to keep their elderly relatives closer to home, with a long-term care home set to welcome residents at the new $40-million Nelson Community Health Campus.
The campus was officially opened Thursday, Sept. 4, with dignitaries and community members gathering to celebrate and tour the facility. Among them was Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma.
“This facility was purpose-built with this community in mind,” said Minister Ma.
“It will improve access to care for people in Nelson and the surrounding communities by bringing long-term care and a wide range of health services together to support people of all ages to get the care that they need, all in one location.”
“By bringing modern, culturally inclusive health-care facilities to Nelson, we’re not only improving access to care for people of all ages, we’re also creating good local jobs and supporting the long-term well-being of the region.”
Located on the old Mount St. Francis hospital site, the Nelson Community Health Campus features a new building with two towers designed to better serve residents:
– Fairview Gardens, a 75-bed long-term care home
– Community Health Services Centre, which provides a wide range of community-based health services.
“The opening of the Nelson community health campus is a milestone for our community,” said Brittny Anderson, MLA for Kootenay Central.
“This centre brings essential health services closer to home, ensuring people of all ages in Nelson and surrounding areas receive the care they need in a welcoming and modern environment. It’s a true investment in the health and future of our community. I am grateful to the community members who were the trailblazers on this project.”
West Kootenay-Boundary Regional Hospital District board chair Everett Baker said the facility will benefit the whole region.
“The Nelson community health campus is an important investment in essential medical infrastructure that will bring lasting benefits to our residents. This project reflects the West Kootenay-Boundary Regional Hospital District’s commitment to using resources to address critical community needs, while supporting the health, safety and well-being of our community,” said Baker.
Nelson Fairview Gardens
Nelson Fairview Gardens features a modern, resident-centred design with private rooms, cosy “neighbourhoods” named after local trees, and safe outdoor spaces where residents can feel comfortable and cared for.
“In bringing community programs and long-term care together under one roof, Interior Health is enhancing person-centred care and strengthening connections between health services, the community and our dedicated care teams,” said Sylvia Weir, interim president and CEO, Interior Health.” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health.
“This new modern campus is a vital asset that supports the important work our health-care teams provide to clients, seniors, Elders and the broader community in Nelson and area.”
Dr. Trevor Janz, medical director for long-term care, Interior Health East, said the campus will bring Nelson up to par with long-term bed numbers.
“The opening of these 75 beds will mean a safe place to live much sooner for frail seniors living at risk in the community, and much-needed decongestion of our hospital and emergency department,” said Dr. Janz.
“Our geriatric/palliative care team of doctors are already working with the nursing team and care staff to ensure a high standard of medical and comfort care for all our new residents, to promote their best possible quality of life.”
Janz, who worked at Mount St. Francis until it closed in 2005, said he is pleased to be part of the next chapter for the site, which includes a one-of-a-kind unit for younger residents.
“We’ve got a younger unit for people who don’t fit into the typical long-term care picture of old and frail.” said Janz.
“They’re younger, but they’re medically complex, or they’ve got mental health or substance use issues, or they’ve got chronic problems that can’t be managed in the community.”
“We’ll have a unit for younger people who will congregate together- I have many people with neuromuscular disease or chronic mental health illness who are in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, and they don’t like being in a building with 85-year-olds.”
“They want their own place. So having a place where they can live and have a safe home, where they’re supported and surrounded by peers and a better social network is going to be a big plus for the whole region.”
However, Janz cautioned that staffing remains a challenge.
The campus has attracted a healthy group of medical professionals, at the cost of draining other facilities in town.
“This building’s got lots, and we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel everywhere else.” said Dr Janz.
“We’ve got some places to fill- we’re used to staffing challenges since COVID. This is our day-to-day work. This is our day-to-day reality is that we’re working short-staffed a lot of the time.”
Still, he said this will not prevent other facilities in Nelson from fulfilling their duties.
Community Health Services Centre
The Community Health Services Centre provides public health, home care, early childhood development and mental-health support, all in one location.
With guidance from the Kootenay Boundary Aboriginal Services Society Collaborative, the campus features Indigenous language, artwork, welcome wall and signage from the Ktunaxa, syilx, Michif and Inuktitut, to support cultural safety and inclusion for all care seekers and to honour the territory on which the facility is located.
The entire campus is designed to support collaborative, high-quality, culturally safer care for people of all ages and backgrounds.
The campus, at 902 11th St., opened in phases, with the Community Health Services Centre officially opening on Aug. 12, 2025, and Fairview Gardens scheduled to open in September 2025.
The campus is co-owned by Columbia Basin Trust and Golden Life Management, a private company that runs retirement developments and care facilities.
The estimated capital cost to make the building operational for health-care services is approximately $20.6 million, including $4.8 million from the West Kootenay-Boundary Regional Hospital District.
“The Nelson community health campus shows what’s possible when we work together to strengthen communities. It not only gives residents better access to care close to home, it also creates good local jobs and supports the regional economy. The trust is proud to have helped bring this project to life, supporting both the health and prosperity of the basin.” said Johnny Strilaeff, president and CEO, Columbia Basin Trust.
Many community links to the location
Nelson Mayor Janice Morrison joined the emotional opening, recalling her family’s ties to the Mount St. Francis site.
“My father was 27 and he was a young businessman and when the Sisters of St. Anne decided to build here, he contributed to the building, and he stayed for many years as a donor to the Sisters of St. Anne for that project.” said Morrison.
“My grandmother, his mother, spent her last years at Mount St. Francis, as did many of the people of my generation who had parents who ended their last days under the care.”
“I also worked for community health as a physical therapist, and I worked in the adult day program that we now have up here in this other building and as a community therapist.”
“I worked there until I was elected mayor of the city of Nelson. And so I’ve had a long tie, my family has had a long tie, and there are many, many families in this community that have had a strong tie to Mount St. Francis.”
She said the facility is a win for the entire region.
“It’s fantastic that we are now going to have families not have to worry about being separated from their loved ones. So it’s really an emotional day for me.”
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