Centre for young people with extraordinary health needs takes next step

April 22, 2022

Vancouver — An innovative new centre for children and youth with complex health-care needs is moving forward with government approval of the project’s business plan.

“This important milestone means children across the province with extraordinary health needs will have access to better care as the first-of-its-kind children’s complex-care transition facility in B.C. will fill gaps in much-needed services and supports,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “While other jurisdictions in Canada offer similar services through separate programs, this will be the first centre in the country to provide such a comprehensive range of supports for children with medical complexity at a single site.”

The centre will be for patients up to 19 years old who are living with complex, chronic conditions and have difficulty performing routine daily and typical childhood activities without assistance, have significant caregiving requirements and frequently use the provincial health-care system.

The facility will co-ordinate care by a multi-disciplinary team through a single point of contact; assist families in navigating a complex system of services; train families, caregivers and care providers to comprehensively support their child in their home community; leverage research and innovation to improve the quality of life for children and youth living with health complexity as well as their families and caregivers; and deliver care in a culturally safe environment, both in person and virtually.

“We want all children and youth with complex-care needs to be able to live their lives to the fullest,” said Mitzi Dean, Minister of Children and Family Development. “Having these critical supports at a single site will help ease some of the challenges families face in navigating services and supports, and allow families to concentrate on caring for their children.”

The estimated cost of the project is $221.8 million, which will be shared between the provincial government and Provincial Health Services Authority.

The BC Children’s Hospital Foundation owns the land on which the new centre will be built. Thanks to the generosity of donors, the foundation has made a sizable commitment to support the building of the new centre.

The next step is the procurement process, followed by construction, which is expected to begin in 2025 and be completed in 2028.

The centre will be located at the former site of the Sunny Hill Health Centre in East Vancouver, which was relocated to the main campus of the BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre in August 2020.

A 74-space child care centre will also be built on the site, which will be operated independently from the complex-care centre. The City of Vancouver is contributing half of the cost of the child care centre.

There will be close links between the services provided at the new site and those provided at BC Children’s Hospital campus on Oak Street. The new services will not replicate the acute services provided at BC Children’s Hospital.

Quick Facts:

As of 2018, there were approximately 7,800 children with health complexity who accessed services at BC Children’s Hospital, of which 20% lived outside the Lower Mainland.
It is estimated that by 2035, more than 9,000 children will have health complexity that will require the type of support the complex-care centre will offer.
The term “children and youth living with health complexity” was developed in partnership with a diverse group of provincial stakeholders and expands the focus from a medical model of diagnoses and treatment to prioritizing how a child can live with their health complexity and improve quality of life.

A backgrounder follows.

Backgrounders

What people are saying about next steps for the children and youth complex-care centre

Malcolm Berry, president and CEO, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation –

“In close partnership with the Ministry of Health, the Provincial Health Services Authority and other key partners, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation is committed to meeting the needs of children, youth and families living with health complexity through its significant support of this first-of-its-kind facility in Canada. For these families, having this level of specialized patient and family-centred care available for their unique needs will completely transform their support system in profound ways.”

David Byres, president and CEO, Provincial Health Services Authority –

“Patient and family-centred care is the foundation of this project. We are starting with the lived experiences of children and their families, and bringing together the partners, leaders and community members who believe deeply in the vision of what life could – and should – be like with this centre and its multitude of services in place and accessible to families across the province. While we are still in the early days, I am grateful to all of our partners, to the provincial government and the City of Vancouver for their commitment and support in bringing this centre one step closer to reality.”

Kennedy Stewart, mayor, Vancouver –

“I am pleased to see this very important complex-care centre for children and youth move forward. I am also thrilled to announce that the city will be contributing to half of the cost of a brand-new child care centre on site. Children who have a good start in life do better at school and enjoy improved physical and mental health. This is why child care and early learning is reflected so prominently in our Healthy City Strategy. Families in Vancouver will benefit greatly for generations from the new child care centre and Canada’s first facility that supports young patients as they transition between acute hospital care, community care and home.”

Darlene Schopman, parent and caregiver –

“Our 10-year-old son is very medically fragile and the support he requires is enormous. It comes from so many different professionals and places. He sees almost every department at BC Children’s Hospital, has many different therapists, caregivers and nurses, and requires a lot of intervention around medical procedures, equipment and medical supplies. To have a care co-ordinator will be an incredible relief and will help ease the navigation of his care.”

Media Contacts

Ministry of Health

Communications
250 952-1887 (media line)

Provincial Health Services Authority

Media Relations
778 867-7472 (media line)

Jennifer Rice

MLA, North Coast