Renewal: step inside VCH’s redevelopment projects
VCH continues to invest in new buildings and renovate facilities to transform the patient and family experience, build capacity and improve access to care closer to home.
We are making significant investments at Lions Gate Hospital through a new acute care tower, renovations to the emergency department and investments in technology and medical equipment.
The new Paul Myers Tower at Lions Gate Hospital replaces aging infrastructure, accommodates new services and meets the increasing health care needs of residents of the North Shore, Sea-to-Sky corridor, Sunshine Coast, Powell River, Bella Bella, Bella Coola and surrounding Indigenous communities.
Richmond Hospital is adding a new nine-floor acute care tower, the Yurkovich Family Pavilion, which includes a bigger emergency department, more operating rooms, an intensive care unit; a fully equipped medical imaging department; a pharmacy; and short-stay pediatrics unit. This will give Richmond, with its growing and aging population, the acute care it needs in the future.
Lions Gate Hospital’s new acute care tower
The new acute tower at Lions Gate Hospital is now open, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the hospital campus, the coastal communities we serve, and our ongoing commitment to enhancing patient care.
Welcoming the first patients in March, the six-floor Paul Myers Tower has 108 private patient rooms, eight operating rooms, 39 pre-operative and post-operative spaces, a medical reprocessing department and dedicated outpatient clinic spaces. Designed in collaboration with the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, the tower has additional green and cultural spaces to support recovery, healing and wellness.
New anesthesia workstations at LGH will provide secure, fast access to medications for surgery at the point of care. Each operating room is now equipped with a state-of-the-art anesthesia workstation that securely stores and automatically dispenses all the medications required by anesthesiologists for the day's surgical cases.
Horizontal wood slats echo traditional long house construction, in acknowledgement of the unceded and ancestral territories of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations on which the hospital is built on.
The new Paul Myers Tower will have eight state-of-the-art operating rooms.
Tour the new Paul Myers Tower at Lions Gate Hospital
Scroll through the below photos to see inside the new tower.
Watch a first look tour inside the Paul Myers Tower at Lions Gate Hospital.
Partnering with Indigenous communities for culturally safer spaces at Lions Gate Hospital
Two Welcome Figures stand proudly at the main entrance of the new acute care tower at Lions Gate Hospital, acknowledging the traditional and unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation), on which the hospital is built. These figures serve as a powerful symbol of respect and recognition of the lands and the deep cultural heritage of the Coast Salish Peoples.
In February, a Welcome Figures ceremony was held to celebrate the installation of these significant works of art. The ceremony featured traditional cedar brushing, which blessed the Welcome Figures and the artists who created them, honouring their skill and cultural contributions.
VCH worked in collaboration with Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) advisers on key aspects of the project to honour the host Nations and help create safer, welcoming and culturally appropriate spaces for Indigenous patients and families.
Welcome figures designed by artist Sinámkin (Jody Broomfield) and Klatle-bhi (Squamish Nations) and Jonas Jones (Tsleil-Waututh Nations).
Two Sisters Garden
The Two Sisters Garden offers a serene, semi-private outdoor space for Indigenous patients and families to gather and engage in ceremonies and cultural protocols such as smudging, drumming and singing. Inside the Paul Myers Tower, the interior design further reflects the local Indigenous heritage and connection to nature. Developed in collaboration with the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation), every floor incorporates colours and design elements inspired by the lands and shoreline, fostering an environment of healing, cultural respect and harmony with nature.
By incorporating murals, carvings and designs that reflect the strength and resilience of Indigenous communities, these spaces enhance the patient, family and client experiences, creating a more inclusive and healing environment.
House of Elders
Elders and Knowledge Keepers will have a new space in the new Paul Myers tower at Lions Gate Hospital this spring. The House of Elders space was built following engagement with Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations about how to provide patients, families, staff and medical staff with mental, spiritual and emotional support. Elders will also use the space to hold sharing circles, storytelling and workshops on Indigenous knowledge and tradition.
Richmond Hospital redevelopment milestones
The Richmond Hospital redevelopment project reached several milestones in 2024, underscoring our commitment to enhancing patient care and supporting the Richmond Community of Care.
Construction of the interim Psychiatric Assessment Unit began in October 2023 and is progressing smoothly, expected to be completed in early 2025.
August 2024 saw the unveiling of a new art piece by Musqueam artist Darryl Blyth in the Cancer Care Clinic, enriching the healing environment for patients and visitors.
May 2024 marked the completion and opening of the new UBC Faculty of Medicine Medical Education Centre, a hub for training future health-care professionals.
Watch the Rotunda demolition at Richmond Hospital
On Sept. 9, 2024, the Richmond Hospital campus saw the end of an era as the Rotunda was demolished to make way for the Yurkovich Family Pavilion. A pivotal moment in the hospital's redevelopment journey, this video captures the last moments of the Rotunda, including a walkthrough of the building just before it was brought down.
