VIHA Residential Care & Assisted Living Capacity Initiative

operational

Opportunity In 2005 the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) completed a Five Year Strategic Plan to anticipate changing healthcare needs in the areas it serves. With a higher proportion of elderly residents than Canada as a whole, VIHA projected a significant increase in future demand for long-term care services and recognized the need to create new capacity as well as renovate or replace outdated facilities. As part of the provincial government’s commitment to develop 5,000 new long-term care beds and assisted living units by 2008, VIHA, in partnership with BC Housing, issued an RFP to build and operate 1,230 long-term care beds and assisted living spaces by 2010. VIHA’s preferred service model for new long-term care and assisted living facilities is to allow residents to age in place by providing a continuum of service at each facility ranging from independent living to complex care. In the end nine proponents, representing 1,059 new units, finalized project agreements with VIHA between July 2006 and November 2006. Innovations Through a single procurement process managed by Partnerships BC, multiple proponents were able to bid for the number of beds they were capable of providing, allowing great variety in how the beds will be allocated. VIHA wanted to capture creativity and innovation to maximize the interest of healthcare clients and add value in the delivery of service. The RFP specified that desirable areas for such innovation could include the use of space, the ability to offer community services, state-of-the-art facilities, potential integration with the community and design elements that promote sustainability and/or reduce operational and/or staffing costs for VIHA. Results All facilities were built as Communities of Care—a continuum of services from assisted living to complex care on a single site, which allows residents to age in place. The project resulted in 795 long-term care beds and 255 assisted living beds in communities including: Courtenay, Comox, Duncan, Nanaimo, Parksville, Port Alberni, Sooke, and Victoria. The high level of competition led to very competitive pricing. Pricing of long-term care and assisted living units is a fixed cost per client, per day. The overall project schedule was accelerated by more than three months ahead of the schedule set out in the RFP. Prior to opening, each facility was inspected by VIHA staff. It was the responsibility of the service provider to demonstrate compliance with provincial standards. Learn more at: Case Studies

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