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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How is the new Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre going to benefit the entire Fraser Valley? As a
regional centre of health care excellence, the new Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre will provide first rate specialized health services for more than 330,000 residents across the Fraser Valley region.
Travel time will be reduced for those needing cancer treatment, and the hospital will be a regional hub and referral
centre, serving the core community care needs of Abbotsford residents, as well as the secondary acute care needs of residents of Fraser East including Abbotsford, Agassiz, Kent, Chilliwack, Hope and Mission.
The new Cancer Centre will be part of the provincial network operated by the BC Cancer Agency and will be integrated
into the hospital. This new Cancer Centre will join the Vancouver and Surrey cancer centres in serving the Lower Mainland population. The Centre will provide specialized diagnostic and treatment services
to residents in the Fraser Valley who previously had to travel to Surrey or Vancouver to access critical care and treatment. This new regional centre means less travel time for residents of Fraser East and will
directly benefit anyone living with cancer in Abbotsford and surrounding areas.
When will the new Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre open? Construction began in December
2004. Completion is slated for May 2008 with occupancy slated for Summer 2008.
Will the new hospital accommodate the growing health care needs of our region? Absolutely. The
new hospital has been designed to accommodate current and future health care needs in the Fraser Valley. The emergency room alone will double its current capacity and will include areas for specialty care of mental
health and pediatric patients, as well as isolation rooms. In addition, if and when the need arises, a fifth floor may be added, accommodating another 80 beds.
Exactly how many additional beds will be at the new ARHCC? The new ARHCC is being constructed
and fully equipped as a 300-bed facility. Of these 300 beds, 261 will be opened in 2008, which represents a net increase of 72 beds over MSA Hospital.
Once the new hospital is operating at full capacity, there will be a net increase of 111 beds. The ARHCC will also
provide a variety of new services not currently offered anywhere in the Fraser Valley.
Why should we give to health care when we already pay so much in taxes? In a perfect world there
would be no need for Hospital Foundations and capital campaigns. Unfortunately, with the cost of equipment and technology rising so quickly, government funds are stretched to their full potential and it is
necessary for us to raise funds in order to ensure that residents of our communities have access to the best in healthcare.
Will the Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre drain resources, such as medical staff, from other community
hospitals? The Fraser Health Authority is being proactive with respect to recruitment of medical staff for all of the facilities located within the region. Fraser Health Human Resources is
aware that some staff and Physicians may move to the new regional facility from other hospitals. As such, part of the recruitment plan being created for the Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre
includes strategies to recruit for other hospitals as well.
Will the Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre cause community hospitals in the surrounding areas to lose
additional services? An integral component of providing excellence in regional health care is ensuring the vitality and growth of community hospitals, which are crucial in supporting the new
regional facility. Fraser Health intends to preserve and support services currently offered in other community hospitals. In fact, it will be important for other hospitals in the Fraser Valley to continue
to provide acute community level hospital care.
Due to a lack of specialized physicians there may be a need in some specialty services to develop a Fraser Valley
program rather than stand alone programs in each community, but this would be done in collaboration with all parties. Such programs, for example the Chilliwack Regional Eye Centre, have already been
established.
If you have a question not answered here – please contact the Campaign Office at 604-557-2088 for further
information. We welcome your feedback!
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