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Description

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VGH amp UBC Hospital Foundation is a registered charity that raises funds for medical equipment worldclass research and improvements to patient care for the many specialized areas of care at VGH UBC Hospital GF Strong Rehab Centre Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and Community Health Services across Vancouver

Throughout our Foundations 30yearhistory the generosity of donors has been vital to our hospitals success in delivering the best of health care to adult British Columbians Financial support from donors is the bridge the gap between the essential funding governments provide and the advanced and sophisticated health care and research possible today

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History

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The Canadian Pacific Railway CPR first opened in 1886 as a ninebed tent its primary use to treat railway workers On June 13 1886 a fire destroyed the tent hospital and by July a new onestorey building was built In September the City of Vancouver took over the facility which became the City Hospital In 1888 located at the southern edge of the original Gastown settlement a 35bed hospital opened as the tent infirmary becomes too small The upstairs ward was for female patients the downstairs ward for males In 1899 the Vancouver City Hospital Training School for Nurses was opened In 1902 British Columbia provincial legislature transferred control from the Citys Board of health to a board of 15 directors Vancouver City Hospital was renamed to Vancouver General Hospital In 1906 in Fairview Ridge overlooking False Creek a new building the Heather Pavilion began housing staff and patients The University of British Columbia Medical School opened clinical facilities at VGH in 1950

In 1959 VGH opened the Centennial Pavilion named in commemoration of the centennial of the founding of British Columbia as a British Crown colony in 1858 which at the time was the largest part of the VGH facilities

In the 1960s VGH build Canadas first intensive care nursery equipped with the first effective apparatus used for natural breathing in infants with respiratory failure

In 1996 VGH opened the first three floors of its newly constructed Laurel Pavilion In 2000 the Laurel Pavilion was renamed to the Jim Pattison Pavilion and construction of the final 12 floors began in 2001 The Jim Pattison Pavilion opened in 2003

In 2004 the groundbreaking for new Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre began This new building adjacent to the Jim Pattison Pavilion opened in August 2006 to provide acute day care services in a variety of areas

The Blusson Spinal Cord Centre the worlds largest most advanced and most comprehensive facility devoted to spinal cord injury research and patient care was opened in November 2008 The sixstorey 45million centre is home to ICORD International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries and is a partnership of the University of British Columbia the Rick Hansen Foundation Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and the VGH amp UBC Hospital Foundation

Ground was broken September 2009 for the new Robert HN Ho Research Centre The sevenstorey 69350 sq ft 6442 sqm facility will house three of VGHs key research programs the Vancouver Prostate Centre at VGH the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility and the Ovarian Cancer Research Initiative