Vancouver General Hospital

Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) is a medical facility located in Vancouver, British Columbia. VGH is part of the Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre (VHHSC) the second largest hospital in Canada. The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCH) is responsible for the VHHSC, the largest component of which is the VGH.

History
Vancouver Hospital first opened in 1886 as a nine-bed tent, its primary use to treat injured railway workers. In 1888 a 35-bed hospital opened as the tent infirmary becomes too small. Vancouver General Hospital was formed in 1902 by a Special Act of the Legislature. In 1906 a new facility, the Heather Pavilion, opened in Fairview Slopes.

In 1959, VGH opened the “Centennial Pavilion” (named in commemoration of the centennial of the founding of British Columbia as a British Crown colony, in 1858), which at the time was the largest part of the VGH facilities.

In 1993, VGH merged with UBC Hospital to become the VHHSC. GF Strong Rehab Centre and George Pearson Centre merged with VHHSC in 1995. Later, in the spring of 1997, VGH merged with the BC Rehab Society and the clinical component of the Arthritis Society of BC & Yukon.

In 1996, VGH opened the first three floors of its newly constructed Laurel Pavilion. In 2000, the Laurel Pavilion was renamed to the Jim Pattison Pavilion and construction of the final 12 floors began in 2001. The Jim Pattison Pavilion opened in 2003.

In 2004, the ground-breaking for new Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre began. This new building, adjacent to the Jim Pattison Pavilion, opened in August 2006 to provide acute day care services in a variety of areas.

In 2006, part of the Willow Chest Centre was torn down to make way for a future as-yet-unnamed health care facility.

Facilities and amenities


VGH is the largest hospital in British Columbia. Besides providing specialized and tertiary medical services, VGH is also a teaching hospital in affiliation with the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine. Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre is composed of four sites: VGH, UBC Hospital, GF Strong Rehab Centre and George Pearson Centre. The VGH site of the VHHSC has 955 beds.

VGH's main cafeteria, known as Sassafras Cafeteria, is not set up like traditional hospital cafeterias of the past, but more like a shopping mall food court with a variety of food kiosks. Sassafras is located on the second floor of the Jim Pattison Pavilion. The Pattison Pavilion also has a café at its main entrance called Café Ami, and VGH has coffee and snack kiosks located at the Heather Pavilion and in the Emergency Department. 

Divisions

 * Alzheimer Clinic
 * Anxiety Disorders Unit
 * BC Injury Prevention Centre
 * Centre for Cardiac Rehabilitation and Risk Factor Management
 * Breastfeeding Centre
 * Domestic Violence Program and Outpatient Clinic
 * Eye Care Centre
 * Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program
 * Mary Pack Arthritis Centre
 * Trauma Services / Orthopedic Trauma Service
 * Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic
 * Patient and Family Learning Centre
 * Prostate Education and Research Centre
 * Short Term Assessment and Treatment Centre (STAT)
 * Skin Care Centre
 * Work Adjustment Program