No surprise -- it turns out folks in Northwest BC are extremely excited and interested in the new Mills Memorial Hospital, currently under construction in Terrace. So when we released draft designs and asked for feedback and questions, you had a lot to say!
We’re now sharing a new booklet called What We Heard: Mills Memorial Replacement Project, which summarizes your feedback and questions about the new hospital and many other topics, and our responses. You can find it by clicking the link above, or on the Let’s Talk Mills Memorial Hospital (MMH) project page.
We’re on the same page
You gave us feedback and insightful questions on all kinds of topics, including whether the new hospital will have a café, a bigger emergency department, bike racks, regional art, lights that kills bacteria and viruses, and much more.
In many ways, what you told us confirmed what we already knew – that this project is extremely important to the people in Northwest BC, and that many feel passionately about the future hospital. The new hospital will offer a smoother, safer, and more welcoming patient journey, as well as supporting the recruitment and retention of much-needed health care workers.
Similarly, your feedback confirmed that what’s important to you is also important to us – we’re on the same page. Planning for the new Mills Memorial Hospital has been ongoing for almost a decade. During this time, we’ve had many in-depth discussions with physicians, staff, patients, partners, and stakeholders. For the most part, feedback and suggestions from these earlier discussions meshed with feedback you gave us when we released the draft designs. Many of the comments and requests we heard had already been considered, and whenever possible, they were incorporated into the design of the new build.
Release of draft designs
The project team for the Mills Memorial Hospital Replacement released draft designs of the new hospital and the Seven Sisters facility in September 2021. A public display with posters, project information, and a 3D model was also set up in the Skeena Mall in Terrace. Another display, mainly directed at Mills Memorial Hospital staff, was set up in the hospital basement near the cafeteria.
People viewing the displays had the chance to write questions and share comments on poster boards. Others went online to the Let’s Talk MMH project page and social media to ask questions and post and email comments.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to review the designs -- your feedback will help the new Mills Memorial Hospital do the best possible job of serving the people of Northwest BC!
Balancing input and design factors – a continuing process
Planning, designing, and building a new hospital is a complex, multi-year process. Our aim is to get the best design for the best value.
The basic design of the new hospital is based in large part on best practices, as well as input from the physicians, nurses, clinicians, and many allied workers who use the facility every day.
The design of the new hospital must look at a number of factors, all of which must be weighed and balanced in the final build. These include, but are not limited to:
- Best practices
- Services offered
- Site and location
- Local population
- Department workflows and functions
- Cultural considerations
- Clinical and operational staff input
- Indigenous and community input
- Budget
- Business plan
- Statement of requirements
We want to hear from you!
Input from community, stakeholders, and other local and regional groups -- including the project’s Capital Advisory Committees, Indigenous Advisory Working Group, and Community Advisory Working Group -- is important to the design process and continues to be collected. All feedback we receive is considered and weighed against the many factors affecting the design.
Questions or comments?
If you’ve got a question or comment about the new Mills Memorial Hospital Replacement project, register for Let’s Talk and post a comment, or ask a question on the Let’s Talk MMH project page. Or, you can email letstalkmmh@northernhealth.ca. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!
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