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Originally Posted by officedweller
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Good to see that Richmond General Hospital is getting seismically upgraded and expanded. However, it doesn't seem like a large enough expansion. The piece notes the following:
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When Richmond Hospital first opened its doors, the municipality had a population of only 50,000, but this has since grown to about 220,000. It is also the closest hospital to Vancouver International Airport, which is quickly growing into a major hub with 31 million passengers per year expected by 2022.
Changing demographics and continued population growth will place more pressure on the hospital, as Richmond’s population is expected to increase quickly to 252,000 by 2031 and 275,000 by 2041.
Additionally, according to RHF, Richmond has the fastest growing senior population in the province. The number of seniors living in the municipality will grow from 31,000 in 2014 to 45,000 in 2019. By 2030, the number of people over the age of 65 will reach 65,000.
The city’s population has quadrupled since the hospital opened, but the number of beds – from 132 to 223 beds – has not kept pace.
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There will be a 69% increase in the number of beds, but using the article's first set of numbers, which don't match those later in the piece, Richmond's population has grown by 340% since the hospital's construction.
Anyway, it's a step in the right direction and it may as well be labelled "phase 1" since Coastal Health will inevitably continue investment in the hospital. I could see a second, far larger expansion in the early 2020s, particularly as the major redevelopment projects (Olympic Oval neighbourhood, Capstan Station neighbourhood, Lansdowne Mall redevelopment, Richmond Center redevelopment, and all the projects along No.3 road) build out and a substantial number of new residents join the city.
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