Cape Breton Regional Hospital expansion another step closer to construction

The Nova Scotia government is moving ahead with plans to expand the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, announcing Tuesday it is now inviting companies to bid on a contract to manage the construction of a new building at the site.

The province isspending $100 million to build anew emergency department, critical care department and cancer centre. Those services will be housed in a new 190,000-square-foot building to be built at the back of the hospital.

The new building will be connected to the current hospitalby a pedway. Construction on the expansion is expected to beginnext year. Once complete,the hospital will have a lot more space.

The new emergency room will be twice as large as the current one, the new cancer centre will double in size, and the critical-care department will be more than three times as large, according to a joint news release from the departments of infrastructure renewal andhealth and the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

Companies have until Oct. 30 to submit a bid on the project.

The construction is part of the CBRM Health Care Redevelopment project, which officials hope will transform health care in the region.

In a news release, the province said the project will improveaccess to care, create more reliable servicesand modernize health-care facilities. The release also stated theimproved work environment couldhelp recruit and retain health professionals.

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