There’s always so much going on at Providence Health Care that the task of choosing Daily Scan stories that reflect some of the biggest things involving the organization is daunting.
But as we say good-bye to 2024 and welcome 2025, we present, in no particular order, the highlights.
Providence Living opening transforms seniors’ care
The July opening of Providence Living at the Views on Vancouver Island marked a big step forward in transforming seniors’ care. The home is based on the concepts of a dementia village and is a partnership with the BC government and Island Health.
Providence Living president and CEO Mark Blandford called the home “a significant milestone in our journey to redefine seniors’ care and create a new standard” for seniors.
Read the full story on The Daily Scan.
See media coverage on CTV.
Tarzan and Jane swing into St. Paul’s Hospital lab
In a first for Western Canada, an automated workstation launched at St. Paul’s microbiology lab using artificial-intelligence and robots. The robot pair, named Tarzan and Jane, handles the bulk of routine lab samples to leave the more analytical work to lab staff.
Read the full story on The Daily Scan.
See media coverage on CTV and in the Vancouver Sun.
New program provides acute-level care right in your home
Last January, eligible patients began to benefit from convenient, safe, acute-level care from the comfort of their own home when the Hospital at Home program launched in St. Paul’s, Mount Saint Joseph and some other Vancouver hospitals.
The renowned Hospital at Home model provides doctors, nurses, and other professionals who visit patients in their homes and provide tailored care.
“Patients need to meet certain criteria, including living within the boundaries of the city of Vancouver,” says Dr. Jonathan Dick, Hospital at Home medical lead at Providence. “This ensures patients can get back to the hospital setting quickly if needed and care providers spend minimal time on the road.”
Read the full story on The Daily Scan.
Read media coverage in the Vancouver Sun.
New St. Paul’s Hospital reaches full height
Last August, the new St. Paul’s Hospital reached an exciting milestone: the final layer of concrete was poured on the roof, topping out the building at 11 storeys. The hospital is now at its full height as it prepares to welcome patients in 2027.
“This is a significant achievement and brings us one step closer to delivering a world-class hospital that will serve our community for generations to come,” says Kevin Little, Senior Manager for Design & Project Delivery with the new hospital’s Project Team.
The focus then shifts to exterior finishes and major equipment work, then interior finishes and landscaping. And in related news, the design and construction team was chosen for the adjoining Clinical Support and Research Centre.
Read the full story on The Daily Scan.
Read media coverage in Construction Business.
Transplant Stories documents transplant surgeries and the Providence Health Care people and patients involved
This four-part docuseries was important to Providence Health Care, since many of the transplant stories were profiled at its sites, including St. Paul’s Hospital and Mount Saint Joseph. It performs kidney transplants and all BC heart transplants. The dramatic series is streaming on Knowledge Network.
Read the full story on The Daily Scan.
Read media coverage in the Vancouver Sun.
Road to Recovery treatment program is improving lives
Hundreds of people with substance-use disorders continue to receive rapid, tailored treatment at St. Paul’s Hospital’s Road to Recovery. The program has reduced wait times, ensuring access to vital services for those who need it most within a day.
Road to Recovery was co-developed by Providence Health Care and the BC Centre on Substance Use. Vancouver Coastal Health is a partner. Funders are the Province of BC and St. Paul’s Foundation donors.
Read the full story in The Daily Scan.
Read media coverage in The Vancouver Sun.
Bringing cardiac care to rural BC
Those born with a heart condition need lifelong care. They can be more susceptible to cardiac problems because there’s no treatment for congenital heart conditions.
The Virani Pacific Adult Congenital Heart (VPACH) clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital is where patients go for regular care. But if patients live outside the Vancouver area, travelling here for checkups can be a big sink of time and money.
To ease that, the VPACH clinicians and staff set up remote clinics that they travel to with their equipment. The first opened in Kelowna and the second just launched in late 2024 in Prince George.
Patient and Prince George resident Sam Bennison just got seen at the clinic in his town. “It’s been amazing,” he said. “I no longer worry about booking a costly trip just to see my doctor. I don’t have to book off work and I can get the same care right where I live.”
Read the full story in The Daily Scan
Pregnant with twins while battling a heart condition
Sarah Dixon’s introduction to motherhood was a harrowing one. Her twin boys were delivered early while her complex heart-rhythm condition was managed at St. Paul’s Hospital’s specialized Cardiac Obstetrics Clinic.
But the clinic’s expertise ensured Dixon’s first Mother’s Day was a happy one.
“It felt good to know that my twins were being welcomed with all this support (from St. Paul’s),” says the new mom. “I’m grateful for the incredible care and that we’re all healthy.”
Read the full story on The Daily Scan.
Read media coverage in the Vancouver Sun.
Mending and tending to Downtown Eastside residents
DTES residents deal with a lot of health problems including those linked to precarious housing and substance-use disorders. Yet many have lacked primary care for years. Enter Mend & Tend, a program that brings nursing care right to the community. No appointment is needed, and patients receive resources to get connected to primary care.
“We’re filling a gap,” says Lisa Maks, part of a Providence nursing team behind the program. “This service can help prevent emergency department visits by treating wounds earlier in the process.”
Read the full story on The Daily Scan.
First Indigenous-led Foundry opens in BC
A new Foundry centre for youth in the Kootenays run by Ktunaxa-Kinbasket Child and Family Services has become the first Indigenous-led one in the province.
Indigenous citizens in the area will benefit from mental-health, guardianship and other services and care in a culturally sensitive, holistic way.
Foundry began in St. Paul’s Hospital to support youth with mental-health and other issues. It has since become a network of 17 centres (including this one) with 18 more in development.
Read the full story on The Daily Scan.
Read media coverage in eknow.ca.
