Island Health will go through the public bid process for the project in late March or early April. Construction should start this spring and be done this year.

Through this project, the hospital will not have to move the Intensive Care Unit, CEO Elise Cutter said at the meeting. The goal is to take away some hardships that patients are seeing at the hospital without adding more during construction, she said.

This project will also expand the entrance on 24th Street, with a new welcome desk and more help to send people the right way. Extra parking freed up by the moving of the helipad will make it easier for people to use that entrance, Cutter said.

The Emergency Department will get a more secure entrance and be used only by patients visiting the emergency room, she said.

This should stop visitors from wandering around the hospital, especially after regular hours, she said.

“Safety is a priority for our patients and our staff,” she said.

New furniture is also a part of that project and is already out and in use at the hospital, she said.

Federal funding is covering about two-thirds of the cost. The hospital is looking at state funding and donations for the rest, Cutter said.