​It was a truly awe-inspiring feat and an auspicious beginning for the newest health-care facility on the BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre campus on Oak Street in Vancouver.

The eight-storey building includes an expanded Emergency Department, state-of-the-art operating rooms, larger clinical areas to accommodate and patients’ complex care needs, and more than 200 private patient rooms in total.

“The first thing that comes to mind when I think of the new hospital is privacy and comfort. Our first experience in the new hospital was when Judah had his heart catheterization (a procedure to diagnose heart function),” said Kristin, mother of Judah, a pediatric cardiology patient from Vancouver Island. “In the new hospital, Judah had his own private room. He was recovering and we were able to keep everything calm, quiet and peaceful for him. Having his own room greatly minimized the stress of the day in comparison to procedures we have had in the past when the space wasn’t available.”

The Teck ACC houses a range of patient care services, including the Emergency Department, labour and delivery unit for complex pregnancies, expanded dedicated obstetrical surgical suites, blood transfusion services, centralized medical equipment depot and sterile processing services, and more than 200 private patient rooms supporting patient- and family-centred care.

Benefits for patients and their families in the new building are more natural light and access to the outdoors, and amenities like kitchenettes, laundry, family lounges and play areas.

“It’s been inspiring to witness the vision of the Teck Acute Care Centre come to life,” said Linda Lemke, chief operating officer, BC Children’s Hospital and Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children, “Every detail—from its innovative and state-of-the-art technology, down to its colour palette—all work together to provide children with a comfortable and welcoming space. In the past year, we’ve seen improved patient and family experiences and positive outcomes for staff working to enhance patient care.”

The Teck ACC is part of the BC Children’s and BC Women’s Redevelopment Project to improve care at BC Children’s and BC Women’s hospitals. The provincial government is contributing $678 million toward the three-phased project. BC Children’s Hospital Foundation provided $150-million in funding, plus an additional $6 million for the Children’s Healing Experience Project in the Teck ACC to create a healing environment through art and sensory technology enhancements to engage, calm and positively distract patients during care.