A major milestone in the redevelopment of the Cassellholme long-term care facility in North Bay took place over the weekend. Officials said 142 residents were moved into the new facility Nov. 30, which has been under construction for the past three years. The total budget for the project is estimated at $120 million. “What an exciting day!” Cassellholme said in a news release Sunday. “Most of the unpacking is complete. Thank you to everyone who helped and supported our efforts. A special shout-out to all of the staff who have gone above and beyond to make this happen so smoothly.” The home’s original building, which was constructed in 1961, is being replaced with a new 264-bed facility. That includes 16 beds for Indigenous residents and an additional eight beds to the special needs units. Residents are being moved into the building in stages as each part of the new building is completed. Major transition Sunday’s news release said that the transition to the new beds will be a significant change for many residents. “There will be a period of adjustment for them, for the staff and for friends/families,” the release said. “Please be patient and alert. If you haven’t already, take some time to review the information we provided about delirium and transfer trauma. Also, If possible, we strongly encourage extra visits over the coming month and through the Holidays.” The general store will be closed Monday and Tuesday this week so it can be relocated to the Cassells dining room. “There will be quite a lot of changes to the phone services,” the release said. “We’ll try to keep the website up to date, but some changes are happening in real time.” Residents in the new building can make outgoing calls by picking up the phone and dialing. Their caller ID will temporarily show as 705-223-0007. Residents in the new building will not be able to receive calls until the switchover is completed sometime on Monday. The temporary phone number for the new building is 705-223-0007. When called, an auto attendant will pick up, indicate that the number is temporary and give options for dialing nurses’ stations. More details on the transition can be found on the Cassellholme website.
