Designing for the People Who Deliver Care

Dawson Creek is a community of approximately 13,500 people in northeastern British Columbia, located at the heart of the Peace River Regional District, an agricultural and energy hub for the province. Like many remote communities, the Peace district’s greatest challenge is available healthcare professionals. Shortages of providers and operational staff limits capacity, reducing access to care. 

With this context in mind, HDR designed the Dawson Creek and District Hospital to minimize the operational burden of running the facility by focusing on flexibility, systems, processes and environments that prioritize the needs and well-being of healthcare professionals. Northern Health Authority staff were involved throughout the design process to express their daily challenges and help tailor solutions to real workflows, improve efficiency, safety and overall workplace morale. 

The new 27,500-square-metre, three-storey hospital is being constructed on a greenfield site, part of Northern Lights College. It replaces the existing 24-bed hospital and includes an emergency department with 15 treatment spaces, 74 inpatient beds, two operating rooms, a procedure room, diagnostic imaging, a chemotherapy area, a perinatal unit, a nursery, a mental health department, academic and teaching spaces and pharmacy services. 

Designing With First Nations

Located within Treaty 8 First Nations territory, the ancestral home of the Beaver, Cree, Saulteau, Sicannie (Sikanni), and Slavey Peoples, local First Nations elders were consulted throughout the project to include culturally safe and appropriate design features. These include a designated gathering space for smudging ceremonies, multilanguage wayfinding, provisions for Indigenous art throughout the facility, operable windows in labour, delivery, recovery and postpartum rooms, and other culturally responsive design elements.

The hospital, expected to be completed in late 2026, is targeting LEED Gold certification and includes a mandated energy performance guarantee.