Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, in Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

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, is a large

teaching hospital A teaching hospital is a hospital or medical centre that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities and are often co-located ...

and Level 1 Trauma Centre affiliated with

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...

. The QEII cares for adult patients. Pediatric patients within the region are cared for at the

IWK Health Centre The IWK Health Centre is a major pediatric hospital and trauma centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia that provides care to maritime youth, children and women from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and beyond. The IWK is the largest facili ...

. Administratively, the QEII is part of the

Nova Scotia Health Authority The Nova Scotia Health Authority is a provincial health authority serving Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the largest employer in the province, with more than 23,000 employees, 2,500 physicians and 7,000 volunteers working from 45 different facilities. ...

History

The Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre was formed by an

order in council An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' Ki ...

during a health care administration reorganization in 1994. The amalgamation was formalized by legislation in 1995–96. The current hospital, opened by

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

Queen of Canada The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is at the core of Canada's constitutional federal structure and Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. The monarchy is the foundat ...

, on 15 August 1994, is an amalgamation of four formerly independent hospitals and health care centres; 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 Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victo ...

, the Camp Hill Medical Centre, the Cancer Treatment Research Foundation, and the Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre. The former Halifax Infirmary and Camp Hill Hospital had previously merged to form the Camp Hill Medical Centre in 1988. The Halifax Infirmary was established by the

Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul The Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul were founded on May 11, 1849, when the four founding Sisters of Charity arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from New York City; this has been designated a National Historic Event. History The story of ...

in 1886 with a new building constructed at the intersection of Queen and Morris Streets in 1933. The Sisters of Charity operated the hospital until it was taken over by the provincial government in 1973. Until 1973, the Halifax Infirmary functioned largely as the city's

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

hospital. The building was closed when the present Halifax Infirmary on Summer Street opened in 1998; the "new Infirmary" has consolidated all emergency and outpatient services for the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, eliminating duplication between the Infirmary and Victoria General. Camp Hill Hospital was founded by the

Canadian military } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force ...

in 1917 as temporary lodgings for casualties of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It was constructed on the east side of Robie Street across from Cherry Street and was expanded repeatedly throughout the years. In 1971 the

City of Halifax A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

founded the Abbie J. Lane hospital adjacent to Camp Hill on the corner of Jubilee Road (now Veteran's Memorial Lane) and Summer Street. In 1987 the Camp Hill Veterans' Memorial building was opened, and the original Camp Hill facilities were subsequently demolished. The new Veteran's Memorial Building, the Abbie J. Lane Hospital, and the Halifax Infirmary on Queen Street were merged to form the Camp Hill Medical Centre. By 1992, planning had begun for construction of the new Halifax Infirmary building to replace the aging Queen Street facilities and relocate the Infirmary to the Camp Hill Medical Centre Summer Street campus. The Victoria General Hospital was established in 1887 by the City of Halifax and the provincial government when the former City and Provincial Hospital at the same site (Peter McGuigan, The Historic South End Halifax) was renamed; the City and Provincial Hospital having been established in 1859. In 1948, a new Victoria General Hospital was opened immediately east of the land which would eventually become home to the

, a

children's hospital A children's hospital is a hospital that offers its services exclusively to infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In certain special cases, they may also treat adults. The number of children's hospitals proliferated in the 20th ...

, on a block bounded by Tower Road, University Avenue, and South Street, and was the largest hospital in the province in terms of both staff and bed capacity. A hospital parking area was established in the lot between Tower Road and South Park Street; in the 1980s the lot was expanded to physically join with the hospital facilities, effectively dividing Tower Road into two sections north and south of the facility. Historically, ''the VG'', as it is called, was aligned with the

Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine The Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie University, also known as Dalhousie Medical School, is a medical school and faculty of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Faculty of Medicine has operated continuously since 1868 and is o ...

as the province's only teaching hospital. The Victoria General Hospital's emergency and outpatient services were closed and consolidated at the new Infirmary site in 1998. The pipes in some parts of the QEII have been contaminated with legionella bacteria since the 1980s, which has rendered water in some buildings undrinkable.

Physical components

The QEII Health Sciences Centre is spread across 10 buildings, which now comprise two geographically separate campuses (formally termed "sites") on the

Halifax Peninsula The Halifax Peninsula is peninsula within the urban area of the Municipality of Halifax, Nova Scotia. History The town of Halifax was founded by the British government under the direction of the Board of Trade and Plantations under the com ...

. * Halifax Infirmary site buildings with amenities and services ** Abbie J. Lane Memorial Building (

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

family medicine Family medicine is a medical specialty within primary care that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and parts of the body. The specialist, who is usually a primary ...

) ** Camp Hill Veterans' Memorial Building (veterans health services, administered on behalf of

Veterans Affairs Canada Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC; french: Anciens Combattants Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada with responsibility for pensions, benefits and services for war veterans, retired and still-serving members of the Canadian Arme ...

) ** Halifax Infirmary (inpatient services, outpatient clinics) **Charles V. Keating Emergency and Trauma Centre **Gift Shops/Convenience Stores/Drug Stores **Libraries **Parking **Places of Prayer and Meditation **Shuttle Service (free) **Spiritual Care * Victoria General site buildings ** Bethune Building (administrative offices, patient services and clinics) ** Centennial Building (inpatient and outpatient services) ** Centre for Clinical Research (resource centre for all QEII-based health research, affiliated with

) ** Dickson Building (Nova Scotia Cancer Centre, Specimen Collection Services) ** Mackenzie Building (Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine) ** Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre (physical rehabilitation) ** Victoria Building (inpatient and outpatient services)

Notable deaths

Kevin MacMichael Kevin Scott Macmichael (7 November 1951 – 31 December 2002) was a Canadian guitarist, songwriter and record producer, best known for being a member of the 1980s UK-based pop-rock band, Cutting Crew, who had a number-one hit in 1986 with " (I Jus ...

, guitarist of

Cutting Crew Cutting Crew are an English rock band formed in London in 1985. They are best known for their debut album ''Broadcast'' and hit single, " (I Just) Died in Your Arms". History 1985–1986: Formation While still in his teens, Nick Van Eede (b ...

, died from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

Taylor Mitchell Taylor Josephine Stephanie Luciow, known by her stage name Taylor Mitchell (August 27, 1990October 27, 2009), was a Canadian country folk singer and songwriter from Toronto. Her debut and only album, ''For Your Consideration'', received encourag ...

, country folk singer,

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...

victim at Cape Breton Highlands National Park's Skyline Trail * Rehtaeh Parsons, incident reportedly related to sexual humiliation and cyberbullying

References

External links

QEII Health Science Centre

QEII Foundation
{{authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1886 Hospital buildings completed in 1948 Hospital buildings completed in 1998 Hospitals in Halifax, Nova Scotia Teaching hospitals in Canada Hospitals established in 1997 Heliports in Canada Certified airports in Nova Scotia