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Ambulance garage at new Mills Memorial Hospital will increase patient comfort and care

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a mock up of the new hospital showing the ambulance entrance at the far right
The new ambulance garage will be the on northeast corner of the new hospital, to the right of the Emergency entrance.

Patients arriving at Terrace’s new Mills Memorial Hospital by ambulance can expect a more comfortable and private experience as a result of a new enclosed drive-through ambulance garage.

At the current hospital, ambulances back into the emergency department lot behind the hospital. Patients are then transported out of the back of the ambulance, through the elements, into the main emergency entrance.

A view from inside the hospital looking out at the ambulance bay
View of ambulance entrance from inside the current Mills Memorial Hospital.

With the new garage, which has two bays, patients will be transferred in a fully enclosed, temperature-regulated space. Once the ambulance pulls into the garage, the doors will shut to protect patients and staff from the outdoors and weather, which can be extreme at times in Terrace. Patients will then be transported directly into the emergency department, far away from the main emergency entrance.

The new garage was designed to meet industry standards in consultation with BC Emergency Health Services, which oversees the BC Ambulance Service.

Construction started on the new hospital in June 2021. More than double the size of the existing facility (approximately 356,500 square feet), the new acute-care hospital and integrated services facility will be a centre for trauma services, orthopedic surgeries, pathology, radiology, clinical support, and pharmacy services. The hospital will also be a training site for medical students in the Northern Medical Program.

view of the current emergency room area
View of the ambulance parking area, behind the current Mills Memorial Hospital, next to the Emergency Department.

More information

For more information about the Mills Memorial Hospital Replacement project, including project updates, photos, videos and renderings, go to the Mills Memorial Hospital Replacement page on Let’s Talk Northern Health.