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

  • ► $12,600
    ►     Where: Comox Valley Hospital

    Need: This rack is required for the Comox Valley Hospital (CVH) Medical Device Reprocessing Department (MDRD) Washer. Currently, the washer is used to process Laparoscopic Equipment. CVH only has one rack, and with the Operating Room expansion last September, Surgical Services will be doing more Laparoscopic Surgery. The MIS Rack will enable the processing of surgical equipment in a timelier fashion.

  • ► $97,000
    ►     Where: Comox Valley Hospital

    Need: The Tomosynthesis or 3D Mammogram is a new type of imaging test that combines multiple breast x-rays to create a three-dimensional picture of the breast for breast cancer screening.

  • ► Where: Comox Valley Hospital

    Need: 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.

  • ► $44,000
    ►     Where: Comox Valley Hospital

    Need: 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 ED 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.

  • ► $20,000
    ►     Where: Comox Valley Hospital

    Need: Code Blue is a hospital emergency code used to describe the critical status of a patient, including cardiac arrest, respiratory issues, or another advanced medical emergencies. When a Code Blue is called, a team of healthcare workers respond in a rapid, yet organized manner. Improvements in response times during cardiac arrest increase survival rates and fewer long-term complications.

    According to research, it is estimated that one life would be saved for each active mock Code Blue practiced per 100 beds per year. It is essential our staff have access to the Resusci Anne torso manikin and to training to improve code blue response and outcomes for survival rate when Comox Valley residents experience in-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest.

  • ► $13,644
    ►     Where: Comox Valley Hospital

    Need: The Vein Finder is used to assist staff in the medical-surgical units (3A/B/C/D and 4 A/B) who are having difficulty starting an intravenous line (IV). Supporting patients whose veins are challenging to locate, this device offers the benefit of less pokes and therefore more comfort and reduced stress.