Long-Term Partnership with Qualico Helps Surrey Memorial Hospital Expand and Improve

Surrey, BC – Surrey is one of the fastest growing cities in Canada, with a population that is increasing even faster than Vancouver's. With a steady stream of new residents, the city’s healthcare services are needed more than ever.

The Surrey Memorial Hospital has been expanding to meet the needs of this growing population, with the help of donors like Qualico. The long-term partnership between Qualico and the hospital has resulted in donations totaling $731,800 since 2007.

Jane Adams, President and CEO of the Surrey Hospital Foundation, described Qualico’s role in the ongoing expansion and improvement of the hospital.

“Qualico is a leader when it comes to giving,” she said. “The company has always been among the first donors to every major hospital campaign over the last decade. Qualico is one of our largest developer partners and the single largest development sponsor of the hospital’s signature gala, Celebration of Care.”

Some examples of the support Qualico has provided over the years include:

• First developer to register a donation of $300,000 toward the $15 million 150-bed ER, Critical Care Tower (CCT) campaign in 2007. (Overall project cost $513 million.)
• First donor to respond to the Jim Pattison matching campaign for the completion of the Jim Pattison Outpatient and Care and Surgery Centre in Surrey. Qualico contributed $300,000 (overall project cost $237 million).
• Donor of $50,000 toward the $2-million campaign to construct and equip BC’s newest, largest, and most progressive emergency short-stay stabilization unit for children aged 6-17 dealing with mental health issues.
• Early contributor of $1,000 toward the construction of a new playground for the hospital’s children population (overall project cost $167,000).
  

Since it opened, the Surrey Memorial Hospital’s ER has treated over 1.05 million people, 210,000 of which were children under 17. Surrey Memorial Hospital continues to be the only full-service hospital in Canada to have a separate children’s ER, which treated 46,000 children last year alone.

The Jim Pattison Outpatient and Surgical Centre has six ORs and over 55 medical clinics, and more than 500,000 people a year receive care at the centre. Qualico’s donation helped to purchase 150 pieces of innovative equipment, which assisted with the recruitment of specialists needed to staff the clinics and ORs.

The Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Stabilization Unit (CAPSU) for children aged 6-17 who are in mental distress opened two-and-a-half years ago. It is the largest and most progressive unit of its type in BC, and has treated 822 children since it opened.

The Children’s Health Centre outdoor playspace is an important area within the hospital unit for 5,000 hospitalized children every year. Play can be an integral part of the healing journey for kids, providing a distraction for their minds and rehabilitation for their bodies.

The Children & Adolescent Psychiatric Stabilization Unit (CAPSU) and Qualico sponsorship poster

Qualico has also been one of the main sponsors for the hospital’s signature gala since the event was first launched three years ago, which has raised $8 million since its inception. Qualico staff have also served on the Gala Committee.

Funds raised through the gala have been used to purchase three pieces of equipment for the hospital’s lung surgical centre, making it the best equipped in Canada.

Gary Mertens, Regional Vice-President, British Columbia and his wife at the Surrey Memorial Hospital's signature gala

Funds have also been used for the hospital’s Children’s Health Centre, which services the entire Fraser Health region. The money raised from last year’s gala helped renovate the hospital’s 10 operating rooms.

Additional support has come from Qualico’s executive serving on the Foundation’s Governance Board. This has involved advocating for funding, from all sources, for healthcare infrastructure at Fraser Health. 

“Leading by example, Qualico is helping Surrey build a culture of philanthropy among the very important development/building sector of our economy,” said Jane. “This has a ripple impact far beyond the hospital. In a young community, having a leader like Qualico is integral to our ability to encourage others to wear the mantle of social responsibility.”