hospital

A healthcare facility in Bedford is expanding its care capacity with 110 new beds for those who don’t need acute care but still require support.

The expansion at West Bedford Transitional Health helps bridge the gap from hospital to home for those aged 18 and older, easing pressure on busy emergency departments.

Premier Tim Houston toured the new wing Wednesday alongside healthcare workers and partners. He says the facility has saved more than 27,000 acute care bed days since opening in December 2024, freeing up hospital space for patients who need it most.

“It’s not just the only one [transitional health centre] in Atlantic Canada, it’s the only one in Canada. And the rest of the country is looking at what we’re doing here to help people transition back to home in a safe, efficient way,” says Houston.

The expansion is operated by Shannex, a Canadian company that provides a range of care options for seniors. The company says this new phase will expand both capacity and the types of patients served.

President of Shannex, Jason Shannon says during the first phase, “we had patients come from over 14 different tertiary care centers around the province from every different department you can imagine in the health system.”

The facility has served hundreds since opening and now includes a total of 178 suites with private bathrooms, rehabilitation gyms and smaller therapy spaces, transition-to-home apartments, shared living areas, outdoor rehab activities, and classrooms for community programming.

Patients work to regain independence with support from the Nova Scotia Health Community Outreach team.

The site can now accept some patients directly from the community who are assessed once admitted.

Dr. Christy Bussey says phase 2 will bring, “patients that have never been at West Bedford before, which is the patient population we’re really excited for.”