A picture taken from the grand opening ceremony of Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on Jan 6, 1963. (Submitted photo)

By Ian Holmes

old facility

NRGH turns 60-years-old, advocates demand new hospital tower

Jan 11, 2023 | 5:28 AM

NANAIMO — It has seen better days, but the future of primary health care in the mid-Island area has nowhere to go but up.

The Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation is recognizing the 60th anniversary of Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) where the facility officially opened on Jan. 6, 1963.

Foundation executive director Barney Ellis-Perry said despite the facility’s many shortcomings as a deteriorating, cramped facility, NRGH has positively impacted thousands of lives.

“We’re looking at multi-generations of folks that have been born here at this hospital and have come here for care throughout their lives, it’s just woven into the fabric and practically the DNA of our community in Nanaimo and the mid Island region.”

Serving nearly 450,000 residents north of the Malahat, Ellis-Perry said while NRGH is far too small to properly serve the ever-growing region, patient outcomes are exceptionally strong.

Throwing Strikes

Nanaimo five pin bowlers from Brechin Lanes post strong results

4h ago

spring cleaning

Yard waste fundraiser benefits invaluable Nanaimo non-profit

8h ago

bright night sky

High likelihood of Aurora Borealis sightings across Nanaimo & Oceanside

22h ago

He said replacing the existing hospital tower is desperately required.

“We see patients in the hallways, we see patients where there use to be storage closets, we see the nurses on their carts in the hallways entering all of their data — it’s just not up to speed in any way shape or form.”

Ellis-Perry noted more than 430 patients were receiving care at NRGH on the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 10, well beyond the hospital’s 340 bed capacity.

“What we need is a 600 bed hospital,” Ellis-Perry told NanaimoNewsNOW.

He pointed to the nearly completed 12-bed intensive care unit as an important pending boost to patient care and staff morale.

A sneak-peek of the soon-to-be completed new intensive care unit at NRGH. (Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation)

Ellis-Perry is hopeful provincial funding materializes shortly to open a new high acuity unit, to complement ICU care.

Space for a high acuity unit in the new ICU was roughed-in to the second floor of new three storey building, however necessary provincial funding to operate the space is required.

The hospital foundation completed a successful fundraising drive to purchase equipment for the new ICU and recently launched the same campaign for the high acuity unit.

Donna Hais, who provides a liason role with Nanaimo hospital’s medical staff association, said her grandfather Marvin Wall was site superintendent of the NRGH construction project.

Wall’s boss flew to Nanaimo as construction was getting started to see how things were progressing, only to see the forms for the concrete foundation blown down during an aggressive wind storm.

Hais recalled another light-hearted story from many years later when her grandfather returned to the hospital he helped build after she gave birth to one of her children.

“His first comment is ‘after 30 odd-years you think they’d change the floors in this place.’ “Since then we have a new maternity ward, but that wasn’t done in his lifetime.”

Hais said while numerous upgrades to Nanaimo hospital over the years and others to come are important, replacing the aging tower is a must.

“It affects every single person that lives in this area. We have to provide the best infrastructure that we can to give the staff the ability to save the lives of the people that are going there,” Hais said.

Donations to the Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation can be made here.

After successfully raising more than $5 million over the previous two years to equip the ICU, the Foundation is now looking to generate an additional $5 million to outfit the pending high acuity unit.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes