Hospital On The Move: The Extraordinary Work Behind Opening the Jim Pattison Acute Care Tower
Behind the scenes at Royal Columbian Hospital, an extraordinary effort has been unfolding. As the Jim Pattison Acute Care Tower edges toward its 2026 opening, teams across the hospital are deep into one of the most complex transitions in Royal Columbian’s history. Equipment is being installed and tested, workflows are being redesigned, and hundreds of staff are preparing to move people, programs, and technology into an entirely new centrepiece for acute and critical care in British Columbia.
Preparing for the Unimaginable: Inside a Code Orange at Royal Columbian Hospital
At Royal Columbian Hospital, a dedicated group of physicians, nurses and operational leaders spend countless hours preparing for something that feels almost unthinkable: a sudden mass-casualty situation where a large number of patients arrive at once. These teams plan, rehearse and refine processes to ensure the hospital can continue to provide exceptional care even under the most challenging circumstances. A major earthquake, for example, could send many injured people to hospital within a very short period of time.
Anesthesia Meets Space
Over three days in September 2025, Royal Columbian Hospital anesthesiologist Dr. Matthew Turnock fulfilled a childhood dream while helping to advance medical knowledge when he experienced weightlessness. Supported by the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, and an innovation grant established by Royal Columbian’s anesthesiologists through the Foundation, Dr. Turnock travelled to France with team members Dr. Alex Suen, Dr. Siobhan Wagner, and Adrian Tabari to conduct experiments aboard the Airbus A310 Zero G. His research explored how anesthetic drugs behave in microgravity, a question that could have implications for future space missions and medical care beyond Earth.
Recognizing the Dedicated Pharmacy Team at Royal Columbian Hospital
Royal Columbian Hospital Takes Action on Sustainable Food Choices
Caring for Seniors’ Mental Health
Empowering Mental Health for New Parents
Advancing Care for Pulmonary Embolism and Deep Vein Thrombosis at Royal Columbian Hospital
Constructing a crown jewel
Building bridges was Michael Kazda’s first career choice coming out of engineering school. But his path over the years has instead led him to a field that he considers more challenging but equally gratifying: the construction of hospitals. He’s overseen a few so far across the country, including the multi-storey Acute Care Tower currently being built at Royal Columbian Hospital.
Easing agitation
“I went berserk more or less,” recalls Colin Lewis about his time in Royal Columbian Hospital’s Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit (CSICU) following a cardiac arrest. “I was going to throw my CPAP machine at them. I’m not usually like that at all.”