December 11, 2009 backgrounder
Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation > News & Events > Media Room > December 11, 2009 backgrounder

BACKGROUNDER - Children’s Charity to Support New Regional ICU for Newborns

About the new Regional NICU
• Surrey Memorial Hospital has been designated Fraser Health’s regional referral centre for the care of the most premature and sickest newborns (level 3), as well as high-risk pregnant women (‘tertiary perinatal’ and ‘high-risk obstetrics’ services). An expanded 48-bed neonatal intensive care unit will open in the new critical care tower scheduled to open in 2014. The program is expected to expand to a 60-bed NICU by 2020.

About the transfer of tertiary services to Surrey Memorial Hospital
• As of February 2010, SMH’s NICU will expand from 20 to 32 isolettes (Neonatal intensive care beds). It will expand to 48 by 2014.
• Independent studies have recommended that Fraser Health’s tertiary perinatal program be located at SMH based on validated population growth projections, birth forecasts, and historical patient volumes. They also assessed the availability of appropriate highly skilled interdisciplinary professionals to meet future demands.
• In support of the development of this regional centre, Fraser Health will transition 12 tertiary beds (highly specialized ‘level 3’ care) from Royal Columbian Hospital to Surrey Memorial Hospital in February 2010.
• Tertiary perinatal services support newborns with a gestational age of less than 30 weeks or an infant of any age requiring mechanical ventilation. A full-term baby has a gestational age of 37 weeks.
• There will be no loss of NICU capacity in Fraser Health.
• Fraser Health is committed to providing the right service at the right time by the right provider to ensure patient/client-centered care. We are focusing on population needs and the natural growth of our communities.
• Royal Columbian Hospital will continue to strengthen its regional and provincial role in three tertiary areas: cardiac sciences, trauma and neurosciences. RCH will support both the Fraser Health network and act as a vital provincial resource in these clinical areas.

About Variety – The Children’s Charity
Since 1965, Variety – The Children’s Charity has raised over $150 million to help children who have special needs in the province. As the leading children’s charity in the province for issuing grants to individuals and families, last year Variety gave over 1000 individual grants to families in need of specialized equipment, medicines and therapies in addition to over 40 grants to children’s organizations such as this NICU.

Variety has graciously provided more than $1 million towards NICU expansion at SMH, including $324,000 to purchase equipment during this first phase of the transition and the transfer of beds and services from Royal Columbian Hospital. In recognition of Variety’s contribution, the new NICU that is scheduled to open at SMH in 2014 will be named the Variety Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

About Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation
Established in 1992, Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation has raised more than $50 million to purchase medical equipment, fund innovative programs, and support training and research.