Island Health, also known as the Vancouver Island Health Authority, is the publicly funded health care provider in the southwestern portion of the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. It was established as one of five geographically based health authorities in 2001 by the Government of British Columbia. Island Health provides health care to over 850,000 people over a geographic area of 56,000 sq km. In the early stages of the

COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia The COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia forms part of an ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). On January 28, 20 ...

, Island Health had 96

intensive care unit 220px, Intensive care unit An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensiv ...

(ICU) beds and 140 ventilators available, including 22 transport ventilators.

Communities

The region includes the communities of: *

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

Gulf Islands The Gulf Islands are a group of islands in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia. Etymology The name "Gulf Islands" comes from "Gulf of Georgia," the original term used by George Vancouver in his ma ...

Johnstone Strait , image = Pacific Ranges over Johnstone Strait.jpg , image_size = 250px , alt = , caption = Johnstone Strait backdropped by the Vancouver Island Ranges , image_bathymetry = Carte baie Knight ...

* Central Coast (part of) The largest population center is

Greater Victoria Greater Victoria (also known as the Greater Victoria Region) is located in British Columbia, Canada, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. It is usually defined as the thirteen municipalities of the Capital Regional District (CRD) ...

on the southern tip of Vancouver Island as the majority constituent of the

Capital Regional District The Capital Regional District (CRD) is a local government administrative district encompassing the southern tip of Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The CRD is one of several regional d ...

(CRD; population 383,360 as of the Canada 2016 Census), which also includes some of the southern Gulf Islands. Outside of the CRD, the primary hospital serving the populous lower island is the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, serving

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "H ...

and Parksville. The other three metropolitan communities on Vancouver Island which function as centres of primary care are Courtenay, Campbell River, and

Port Alberni Port Alberni () is a city located on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The city lies within the Alberni Valley at the head of the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island's longest inlet. It is the location of the head offices o ...

Service

The main hospitals serving the CRD are the

Royal Jubilee Hospital Royal Jubilee Hospital is a 500-bed general hospital in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada located about east of the city centre, in the Jubilee neighbourhood (itself named after the hospital). Overview Its name commemorates the Golden Jubilee o ...

and the

Victoria General Hospital Victoria General Hospital (VGH) is an acute care facility located in View Royal, British Columbia, Canada, a western suburb of Victoria. VGH provides emergency, general surgery and medical treatment services. It is one of two acute-care hospital ...

, with the smaller Saanich Peninsula Hospital providing service to the

Central Saanich Central Saanich is a district municipality in Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada , and a member municipality of the Capital Regional District. It is located on the Saanich Peninsula, in the far south-east of Vancouver Island. The district ...

and

North Saanich The District of North Saanich is located on the Saanich Peninsula of British Columbia, approximately north of Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria on southern Vancouver Island. It is one of the 13 Greater Victoria municipalities. The District ...

municipalities. Saanich Peninsula Hospital "was built in 1974 as an Extended Care facility and has grown to become a full service hospital with 48 acute care beds and 144 extended care beds". Nanaimo Regional General Hospital is slated to receive a new $33.85-million intensive care unit in 2021. "It will replace what a 2013 Island Health report deemed the 'worst' ICU in Canada." Campbell River and

Comox Valley The Comox Valley is a region on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, that includes the city of Courtenay, British Columbia, Courtenay, the town of Comox, British Columbia, Comox, the village of Cumberland, British Columb ...

both have new facilities as of 2017. North Island Hospital Campbell River and District provides 95 beds.

Facilities

Island Health's 150 hospitals and health centres include:

References

External links

Island Health website
{{Authority control 2001 establishments in British Columbia Health regions of British Columbia

Communities

Service

Facilities

See also

References

External links