Replacing the outdated Bradley Centre at Chilliwack General Hospital with a new 200-bed long-term care home will go a long way toward acting on the "lessons learned" during the pandemic, B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said Monday (Aug. 19).

"I think there is a debt owed to make things better," Dix said in announcing the $274-million long-term care home in Chilliwack.

It's part of an unprecedented capital expansion underway for this type of long-term health care for seniors, "to ensure we keep people safe, and to live their lives in the full expression of whatever their circumstances," the minister added.

Fraser Health will start building the new five-storey facility in 2026, to replace the aging Bradley Centre, which opened in 1973 at Chilliwack General Hospital.

"The redevelopment of the Bradley Centre, will add 110 new beds and replace 90 existing beds, demonstrating our government's commitment to improving care for seniors in B.C.," Dix said.

Asked what B.C. learned since the pandemic, the health minister pinpointed "single bedrooms," in long-term facilities, and that's part of the new design.

The new care home in Chilliwack will include "households" with 12 to 13 residents, with each resident having their own private single-bed room and bathroom facilities.

In the 10 years before he became health minister, Dix said only $17 million was spent on new long-term care homes by the previous BC Liberals, compared to his government plan to spend $3.1 billion on what he called "the largest long-term home care capital expansion" in B.C.'s history.

"By investing in building more long-term care homes and improving the quality of existing facilities, we're securing a future where older adults can age with dignity in their community."

Dix added this long-term care home "will make a difference, and the physical space will make a difference."

This "innovative model" has enhanced infection control,  a culturally sensitive approach and design, and community spaces and services for residents, families, visitors and staff, such as art and activity rooms, a hair salon and a sacred space.

The new facility will include common and recreational spaces typical of a home, such as living rooms, dining rooms, activity areas and access to outdoor spaces.

They've added long-term staff, and better training, as well as eliminated care homes that were "below provincial standards" in terms of staffing, and established a new health care assistant program.

"So all of these things are important," Dix said, along with helping people age at home for as long as possible.

Fraser Health CEO Dr. Victoria Lee said the new care home will be "state-of-the-art" in terms of long-term care.

"And I think it's only fitting that we will be moving to a much bigger, more modern and also a much more dynamic kind of a centre where there'll be not only expanded beds, but patient focused care in terms of the types of services available from hairstyling to sacred space as well as diversity of daycare options as well as, recreational and social services that will be available."

The Bradley Centre teams "already do that in meeting the needs of residents and families" but they'll be in a better space once the new home is built.

Sylvia Pranger, chair of the hospital district board said she was "thrilled" to be at the long-awaited announcement for the new long-term care home.

"This project is a huge win for our community and all of our smaller surrounding communities," Pranger said. "We all benefit from this major announcement."

It was in 2019 that the Fraser Valley Regional Hospital District Board voted to enter into a purchase agreement with the City of Chilliwack the land to develop the Bradley Centre Replacement complex care facility, with properties on Mary Street, Kipp Avenue and Main Street to be acquired at a cost that was "not to exceed" $4 million.

Pranger said planning has been underway for years.

"We're very grateful for this moment," Pranger said.

Calls for improvements to publicly funded long-term care had been growing since before the pandemic and the replacement of the Bradley Centre was underlined in the 2020-22 FVRD Strategic Plan as a good governance goal.

"It will more than double the number of beds of the previous care home and will offer more care options for people in the community," said Dan Coulter, MLA for Chilliwack.

Both local MLAs recognized that replacing the outdated Bradley Centre was an opportunity to advocate for better long-term care, so they made that goal front and centre in 2021 as health care officials were considering where to prioritize provincial health-care funding.
"As elected MLAs for Chilliwack and Chilliwack-Kent, we want to make sure that the Bradley Centre and Chilliwack don’t get left behind in these commitments," MLAs Kelli Paddon and Dan Coulter were quoted in the Progress in an op-ed piece on May 4, 2021.

"We want the best for our elderly population and want to support the folks who have been advocating for them for a long time."

They pushed to make it happen and now it's coming to fruition.

"It will not only support seniors to live in a community setting while receiving high-quality care, but it will also offer seniors living at home another option to receive care through the adult day program, which will benefit caregivers as well," MLA Kelli Paddon said.

The capital cost of the project will be shared between the province and Fraser Valley Regional Hospital District, and is estimated to be $274 million.

The care home will be built, owned and operated by Fraser Health. The business plan was approved in July 2024 and the project will move into the procurement phase, with construction expected to start in 2026 with completion anticipated in 2029.

The long-term care home will also house a 32-space adult day program designed to support older adults living independently at home.

Long-term care homes provide care for people with complex-care needs who can no longer live safely and independently at home, and who require 24-hour supervision for a range of services delivered by well-trained and caring staff.