The aging Cottonwoods long-term care home on Ethel Street will be replaced by a four-storey complex with 314 beds in single rooms with private washrooms.听
Total cost of the rebuild, announced Friday by the provincial government, is estimated to $186.8 million. Construction is expected to start next year with completion in 2029.听
A one-storey building constructed in听1976, Cottonwoods for many years had a mainly hospital-like approach to long-term care, with up to four residents sharing a room separated by curtain dividers.听
As well as single-bed rooms with private washrooms, the new facility will have 鈥渓eading practice design features鈥 for people with dementia, as well as home-like features such as a living rooms, activity rooms, and access to the outdoors. The rebuild will also include a day care with space for 37 children.听
鈥淓veryone deserves to know as they age that high-quality health-care services will be available when they鈥檙e needed, including assisted living and long-term care close to home,鈥 Health Minister Adrian Dix said as the rebuilding project was announced.听
As with all health-related capital projects, 40 percent of the Cottonwoods鈥 rebuild cost will be provided by Kelowna-area property owners through their taxes.听
鈥淔unding this project is not just an investment in a building; but it鈥檚 an investment in the well-being of our community members and the dedicated staff who care for them,鈥 said Lake Country Mayor Blair Ireland, who is chair of the Central Okanagan Regional District board of directors.听
The COVID-19 pandemic was felt especially acutely at Cottonwoods, where outbreaks of the disease were common. At one point in early 2021, only two-thirds of its staff had agreed to be vaccinated, compared with a provincial rate of more than 90 percent at the time among workers at long-term care homes across B.C.听
Also Friday, the government announced the second phase of another upgrade to the Mission Creek Landing complex on Hall Road. The first phase, to open this fall, will include relocation of the current 101 existing beds and the addition of 30 more.听
A second phase of construction, with 110 additional beds, will then get underway with completion expected in late 2026. Like Cottonwoods, Mission Creek Landing dates back to the 1970s.听
鈥淭he expansion of this long-term care home by Mission Creek Regional Park delivers on our commitment to ensuring people in B.C. receive the health care they need at any age,鈥 Vernon area NDP MLA Harwinder Sandhu said in a release.听
A shortage of long-term care beds in the Central Okanagan has often led to long waiting lists, with the delay compounded recently by both the closure of the 63-bed Pine Acres facility run by Westbank First Nation and the pandemic, which resulted in ongoing staff challenges that meant many beds were not available.听
In January 2022, there were 1,461 publicly-funded long-term care beds in the Central Okanagan but many of them were not available.听