ACUTE CARE

Our hospital is the cornerstone for great care.

With over 39,000 emergency room visits, close to 8,000 surgeries, nearly 4,000 treatment sessions through the out-patient cancer clinic, 485 babies born, and more than 6,500 people being admitted for care each year, our local hospital is one of our most important community assets.

Informing diagnoses and treatment, the hospital lab runs approximately 1.4 million tests annually and the medical imaging department provides over 100,000 scans and x-rays. The Comox Valley Hospital is vital to the health of our community.

  • 39,292
    ER VISITS

  • 7,862
    SURGERIES

  • 3,666
    CANCER CARE TREATMENTS

  • 485
    BABIES BORN

  • 6,564
    IN-PATIENTS

  • 1,449,006
    LAB TESTS

  • 103,950
    SCANS & X-RAYS

  • 75,000
    POPULATION SERVED

*Island Health data from 2023-24.

Our hospital serves a population of 75,000 people living in and around the Comox Valley.

Many departments in the hospital also provide specialty services for people from surrounding communities. As a popular winter and summer recreation destination, our hospital serves out-of-town visitors, too.

Regardless of where we are from, we often arrive at the hospital in a vulnerable state – scared, confused, worried about what will happen next. In those moments, our loved ones and surrounding family should feel assured that care providers have the top resources available to provide what is required.

We will all need hospital services at some point in our lifetime. Whether it is an urgent need, specialized treatment, diagnostic services, or day-to-day assistance, we all want to know we are going to receive the best possible care.

Over the last decade, the Comox Valley has seen significant population growth. In addition to an expanding number of residents, our demography indicates an aging population: the proportion of seniors here is higher than the provincial, or even the Island, average. This puts significant pressure on our hospital resources.

While government funding accounts for a tremendous amount, it cannot cover everything nor advance projects as rapidly as when we unite toward the common goal of giving great care. Your donations enable state-of-the-art programs, training, research, and equipment so our medical teams at the hospital can continue doing what they do best.

The Foundation works with Island Health leadership to identify priority projects for our community to support. We aim to summarize the areas of greatest need through our campaigns and communication channels. We welcome your interest in discussing projects within specific departments or healthcare areas that are close to your heart.

Priorities for the Hospital

  • ► $44,000
    A Panda Maternal Infant Warmer is needed for the Comox Valley Hospital Emergency Department. The machine currently used in the Emergency Department is on loan from the Perinatal Department, but challenge exists when it is required by both departments or when it is urgently needed in the ER to treat the most vulnerable of patients. A Panda Warmer is used in all births to immediately warm the baby and allow medical teams to assess and provide care for newborns. In addition to keeping the baby warm, this equipment makes weighing the baby quick and easy, enables the bed to be programmed and warm for baby’s arrival, has an integrated SPO2 and resuscitation system for high-risk newborns and ultimately provides staff and families peace of mind.

  • ► $7,000
    A new tonometer is required to support the Emergency Department at the Comox Valley Hospital.

    iCare IC100 is a reliable choice for all eye care professionals. This tool offers safe, quick, and easy measurement of the fluid pressure inside the eye in even the youngest or most distressed patients without needing anesthesia or air.

    The iCare tonometer uses rebound technology, which allows painless and hygienic intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement without local anesthesia.

    With this tonometer, you can measure the IOP of patients in a sitting or standing position which is important in the busy emergency department.

    Fully portable iCare IC100 makes it possible to measure the IOP of your patients wherever they are and the results are always reliable.

  • ► $777 each, 2 required
    Pocket talkers enhance patient care (particularly for elderly patients) by improving healthcare professionals’ ability to communicate with their patients. The voices closest to the listener are amplified while background noise is reduced. This is necessary in busy hospital settings like the Emergency Department.

    Pocket talkers are ideal for one-on-one conversation or small groups. It is a compact, convenient amplification device that makes conversations clearer.

  • ► $112,000
    MRI Deep Resolve technology is leading-edge software for the hospital’s MRI that facilitates faster scanning time with higher resolution. Hospital leadership estimate a 40% reduction in scanning time which allows the Medical Imaging department to increase patient access to MRI ensuring our community’s needs are met. Time savings also come with an increase in image quality, providing better and more accurate diagnostics.

  • Provides clothing, personal hygiene products, and other necessities to vulnerable hospital patients. This fund also contributes to enriching patients’ stay by having books, toys and art supplies within the Pediatrics Departments and helps grow our stuffed animal collection to provide to children receiving care at the hospital as a means to reduce stress and offer them comfort during treatment and procedures. Growing this fund also allows us to offer activity supplies and other items that bring simple pleasure and joy to long-stay patients, mostly seniors, in the Transitional Care Unit.