Home health, public health and other health services are on the move in South Delta.
Fraser Health is moving these services from their decades-old location near city hall in Ladner to a new office and clinic space at Tsawwassen Commons.
A soft opening took place March 13 with staff and services continuing their transition over to the new space in the coming weeks.
“We’ve outgrown it [our present location] and this is a significant increase just for our home health capacity, but also public health,” said Fraser Health home health manager Brad Miller.
“One of the nice things too is that home support, which just got repatriated from contract providers to Fraser Health, will be co-located with us here, so in addition to home health, public health, the specialized seniors clinic, which is a lot of the same clients that we service in the community, will also be in here, so we are bringing a lot of community programs together, in addition to being in a newer, bigger space.”
In addition to home health and public health, home support, diabetes, specialized seniors and community palliative care will all work out of the new offices.
Miller said the new location has the capacity to serve clients who are bariatric, so that means doorways, toiletries, lifts and beds will be able to take anyone’s physical needs.
“That is unique. We have seen that struggle in a lot of areas in the community where if someone is able to get in here we have challenges to provide care, so care has to happen in the home, where now this is maybe a better environment,” he said.
Miller said planning for the move had been ongoing for the past four years.
“The past 14 months has really been going over our functional plans and then looking at spaces that would meet all of those plans,” he said. “For about a month now we have been notifying and working with our clients to ensure the transition and the move is as smooth as possible.”
Registered nurse Christine Tang said the move is an exciting one not just for the public, but for the staff that serves the community.
“Staff and patients are very excited,” she said. “For example, things like having computers in the clinic rooms is great. Having more clinic rooms – we are doubling the size -- so there is more space to do that. It’s just being able to provide greater levels of care and support.”
Once Fraser Health moves out of its current space at the end of March it will be turned back over to the City of Delta. Plans for that space have not been determined by the city yet.
