A new 60-bed nursing home officially opened its doors in Saint John on Monday.
Cohen Hall is part of the existing Shannex Parkland campus in the Millidgeville neighbourhood.
Jason Shannon, president of Shannex, said the first residents of the home will move in on Tuesday.
Shannon said each resident of the multimillion-dollar home will have their own private suite and washroom.
“Not only will they arrive here to enjoy their own beautiful suites, but they’ll be part of our neighbourhood concept,” said Shannon.
“We’ll have 30 people living on a floor with all of the services they need right at their fingertips.”
Those services include a nursing station, dining room and living room, and activity space.
In addition, Shannon said the new home also includes an indoor Main Street, which promotes independence and a sense of community.
Residents are able to enjoy the experience of spending time on a small-town street complete with a hair salon, café, town hall and a multi-purpose room.
Many of the new residents will be coming from local hospitals, where they have been waiting for a nursing home bed.
Cohen Hall was named in memory of the late Senator Erminie Cohen, who spent time at Carleton Hall on the Shannex Parkland campus.
“She was a wonderful part of that community. She was often there to greet me when I walked through the door with an idea on how we could make things better for the community, not at Carleton Hall but the greater community,” said Shannon.
Shannon said they signed the contract with the province to build Cohen Hall less than 18 months ago. Initially, the facility was not supposed to open until April, but it was completed ahead of schedule.
“We’re very proud to be able to open this home in record time for us, around 16 months since we signed our contract,” he said.
Shannex plans to open three more nursing homes throughout the province over the next nine to 12 months, said Shannon.
Social Development Minister Dorothy Shephard said they are pleased to see more nursing home beds come online to help respond to increasing demand.
“With the addition of Cohen Hall, there are currently 72 nursing homes in operation in the province with a total of 5,013 beds,” said Social Development Minister Dorothy Shephard.
Shephard said they plan to increase this to 81 licensed homes, adding 520 more beds to the system.
In November, the province issued a request for proposals to build four 60-bed nursing homes in Bathurst, Bouctouche, Moncton and Oromocto as part of the government’s five-year nursing home plan.
Five 60-bed nursing homes were announced during the first two phases of the plan, including Cohen Hall. Others included two facilities in Moncton and one in Fredericton, which are set to open this year, and a facility in Saint-Isidore which will open in 2024.
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