Partner feedback informs design plans for Dr. F.W. Green Memorial Home

User group meetings for the design development phase of the Dr. F.W. Green Memorial Home Replacement project in Cranbrook are now complete.

Along with Ktunaxa Nation representatives, Interior Health team members from various departments were involved in the meetings to provide feedback about next stages in design, directly shaping the final outcome of the project. The design goal is to create a comfortable, home-like environment for the people who will be living in the space.

“Meetings with the user groups allow Interior Health to dive into deeper details at each stage of planning and make sure we don’t miss any key aspects of design along the way,” explains Catherine Trudeau, project manager for the F.W. Green replacement project. “These meetings allow for all involved teams to have a voice in how the building will look, feel, and operate.”

Participants included representatives from: clinical operations, environmental services, capital project subject matter experts, allied health, logistics, facility and maintenance operations, infection control and prevention specialists, food services, architectural, landscape, and engineering consultants. These key partners inform the design development phase of the project to ensure all operational aspects of the design are met.

“It is critical to receive and consider input from staff during design meetings to ensure we are building a facility that will support a provision of person-centered care, safe and efficient workflows, as well as best practices,” said Walter Felitsyn, director, clinical Operations, East Kootenay Long Term Care. “These meetings provide an opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration across technical teams, front line staff, IH leadership, consultants, and with our construction manager.”

A final design development report incorporating IH’s feedback was submitted at the end of January 2025. This will be followed by the Construction Documentation design phase.

Future user group meetings for the Dr. F.W. Green Memorial Home Replacement Project are planned for Spring 2025. This will include 3D virtual tours, so the user groups can better imagine themselves in the pace.

The Dr. F.W. Green Memorial Home is a long-term care home in Cranbrook that currently has 60 publicly funded beds. A new five-storey building is planned to be built at the same site at 1700 4 St. South. The planned expansion will add 90 new long-term care beds and three hospice beds for a total of 150 beds. Construction is expected to start in Summer 2025.