Peace Arch Hospital

Hospital in British Columbia, Canada

49°01′48″N 122°47′37″W / 49.029955°N 122.793632°W / 49.029955; -122.793632OrganizationCare systemMedicareTypeGeneralServicesEmergency departmentYesBeds146HistoryOpenedAugust 25, 1954LinksWebsitewww.fraserhealth.ca/Service-Directory/Locations/White-Rock/peace-arch-hospital

Peace Arch Hospital (PAH) is a 146-bed acute care facility, and Level IV trauma centre owned and operated by Fraser Health. The hospital is located at 15521 Russell Avenue, White Rock, British Columbia, Canada, and its catchment area includes South Surrey.

History

After World War II, Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster began limiting access to residents from the growing suburban communities such as the then-District of Surrey which included the future (established in 1957) City of White Rock.

In 1948, the White Rock Hospital Society formed to fundraise and advocate for government support for creation of a local hospital, while residents of North Surrey and Cloverdale advocated for a hospital in the northern part of the district, which ended up being Surrey Memorial Hospital. The society's fundraising goal was $150,000, one-third of the construction costs as required by the provincial government.^[1]

Construction began in 1951 on land donated by a nearby resident. The 45-bed White Rock District Hospital opened on August 25, 1954.^[2]

The hospital's name was changed to Peace Arch Hospital. It also eventually was merged into the South Fraser Health Region (SFHR) which also administered health care in Delta, Surrey and Langley. In 2001, PAH came under management of Fraser Health when SFHR was merged with its neighbouring health regions to create a new regional health authority.

In 2009, then Minister of Education Margaret MacDiarmid was rushed to PAH for emergency treatment for what was diagnosed as pneumococcal meningitis.^[3] MacDiarmid recovered and later was appointed Minister of Health.

Fraser Health and the Peach Arch Hospital & Community Health Foundation partnered to complete Peace Arch Hospital Master Concept Plan in 2012. It identified four priority projects: a redeveloped and expanded emergency department, new surgical procedure rooms, a new 200-bed residential care building, and the new 15 bed Peace Arch Hospice. In 2013, Health Minister MacDiarmid announced $3 million in government funding to expand the hospice.^[4]

In April 2017, the hospital began construction on an expanded emergency department, new operating rooms and renovation of the existing medical reprocessing department as part of a $83.7 million construction project.^[5]

Facilities

Peace Arch Hospital offers community services such as:

24/7 Emergency Services
After-hours Emergency Surgery
After-hours Obstetrics
Critical care
Elective Inpatient and Day Surgery
Laboratory Services
Low-risk Obstetrical Care
Outpatient Services
Ambulatory Care
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Early Psychosis Management
Seniors' Services
Radiology
Nuclear Medicine

References

^ "Ellen Kennett: A Passionate Pioneer". Thrive Magazine (Spring/Summer 2014). Peace Arch Hospital & Community Health Foundation: 7.
^ Davis, Chuck (1997). The greater Vancouver book: an urban encyclopaedia. Linkman Press. p. 19. ISBN 1896846009.
^ Fowlie, Johnathan (Nov 4, 2009). "Margaret MacDiarmid recovers from catastrophic illness". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
^ Hislop, Markham (March 27, 2013). "Peace Arch Hospice gets $3 million to expand to 15 beds". Surrey Beacon. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
^ "Expansion and upgrades overview". www.fraserhealth.ca. Retrieved 2021-09-18.