The first hospital opened with 14 beds on April 18th, 1922. It was in 1953 when MSA Hospital opened with 50 beds and 18 bassinets. Statistics Canada shows Abbotsford’s population was 830 in 1956. Keep in mind that Abbotsford amalgamated with the District of Sumas in 1972 and the District of Matsqui in 1995. I assume MSA hospital served the surrounding districts before amalgamation. When MSA closed its doors in 2008 it had a capacity of 261 beds. The population of Abbotsford was around 130k. ARH opened in August 2008 with 300 beds. Bed space increased by 39 beds. Much of the expansion was office space, a cancer center, and an emergency room expansion.
Based on the statistics, the population of Abbotsford will be 242,000 in 2050. A massive expansion of ARH will be required by 2050. Fraser Health did purchase a 1.7-acre property just east of ARH in 2021 for $14 million. In comparison to the old 9-acre MSA site, a premium was paid for the 1.7-acre site. The province was previously looking at selling the MSA site for $9 million. At a million dollars an acre, it sounds like a deal with today’s values. The former MSA Hospital site was turned over to the Matsqui First Nation by Fraser Health and the province in 2020. Matsqui First Nation plans to build 778 rental units on the site.
Building a second hospital is an option but may not be cost-effective. In any business, production needs to be efficient as possible. I do not know the inner workings of a hospital so I can not suggest how to improve efficiency. Recruiting management from the private healthcare sector may help improve efficiency. From the few times I have attended ARH, I can tell the hospital is at capacity when looking at bed space.
A second hospital may not be something Abbotsford needs by 2050. A major expansion is something we certainly will need. The Jim Pattison Pavilion is 12 floors with 459 beds at Vancouver General Hospital. The footprint of the tower is 3.75 acres. The main buildings of VGH are built on 18 acres. Would a similar-sized tower fit on the property at ARH? ARH site is nearly 30 acres.
(Photo Credit: Silver Thomas Hanley) (Photo Credit: Abbotsford News)
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