Expansion of Penticton hospital completed

A $308-million expansion at Penticton Regional Hospital is down to the final renovations at the David E. Kampe Tower.

The six-storey tower opened in April 2019 with enhanced care spaces, including single-patient rooms, large operating rooms and state-of-the-art equipment.

The second phase of the project included an expansion to the hospital’s emergency department, which added new trauma rooms, exam rooms, patient registration and a waiting area. The project also included a new hospital pharmacy and a 480-stall parkade.

“Patients in Penticton and the South Okanagan-Similkameen region will have access to public health care in modern surroundings at the fully completed tower,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “Our government proudly supports this project, and I thank everyone involved in making it happen.”

The tower was named after David E. Kampe, a Penticton businessperson and philanthropist, who died in 2019.

In addition to modernizing the hospital campus with a new main entrance and space for patients, families, staff and doctors, the tower project received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Canada Gold certification.

The Canada Green Building Council noted the project was constructed with sustainable materials, added charging stations for electric vehicles, included water-use efficiencies, reused existing building materials and recycled content, increased ventilation, and utilized high-efficiency windows and natural light.

Susan Brown, president and CEO of Interior Health, thanked everyone involved in the project, from health-care workers to the project team and all the construction partners.

“There was tremendous collaboration and effort to complete both phases. People in the south Okanagan and Similkameen now have a world-class health-care facility that matches the skill of the people who work there.”

The project was completed in partnership with EllisDon within a budget of $308 million shared between the provincial government, the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional Hospital District, Interior Health and South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation.