Investing in Better Surgical Services for Our Community
by Tabatha Golat
Care at the Saanich Peninsula Hospital has always been a team effort. Skilled healthcare staff deliver exceptional care every day, and for more than four decades the community, through the Saanich Peninsula Hospital and Healthcare Foundation, has helped ensure they have the tools and spaces needed to do their work well. This long-standing partnership between the Saanich Peninsula Hospital and the Foundation has strengthened healthcare across the Peninsula and Gulf Islands, and it continues with the launch of the Enhancing Surgical Services and Parking campaign.
Surgical needs in our region have been rising quickly. The Saanich Peninsula Hospital currently has three operating rooms, and the number of surgical cases performed has nearly doubled since 2022. The skilled surgical team is ready to do even more, but the physical spaces and equipment have not kept pace with growing demand. Modernizing the operating rooms with state-of-the-art surgical technology will allow the hospital to increase capacity by an additional 250 to 300 surgeries each year. These improvements will help reduce surgical wait times and ensure patients receive life-changing care when they need it.
Upgrading the operating rooms will also create a better working environment for surgeons, nurses, and the many staff who support safe, high-quality care. Modernized spaces will allow teams to focus more fully on what matters most: caring for patients. Their dedication to patients is unwavering, and this campaign will give them the tools and space they need to continue delivering exceptional service to our community.
As surgical demand increases, so does the need for accessible parking. Anyone who has visited the hospital knows that parking can be a challenge, especially during busy hours or for those with mobility concerns. By expanding the hospital’s parking lot, this campaign will create significantly more spaces and make hospital visits easier for patients and families. It will also support the staff who arrive each day to provide critical care. Removing parking barriers is a simple but meaningful step toward improving access to healthcare for everyone.
The heart of this campaign is not about equipment or asphalt. It is about people. It is about the neighbours, friends, and families who rely on the Saanich Peninsula Hospital during some of the most important moments of their lives. It is about ensuring that world-class care remains close to home, now and for generations to come.
To achieve these improvements, the Foundation is working to raise 4.2 million dollars. None of this work is possible without the generosity of donors, whose compassion has strengthened the hospital for decades. Donor support has allowed patients to recover close to their families and has helped staff deliver the best care possible. Our current fundraising campaign invites the entire community to come together to shape the future of local healthcare.
This campaign demonstrates the difference our community can make, from upgrading operating rooms to expanding parking so patients and families can get the care they need. Most of all, it is a reminder that when communities invest in their hospital, they invest in one another.
To learn more or to support the Enhancing Surgical Services and Parking campaign, visit sphf.ca and join Saanich Peninsula Hospital and Healthcare Foundation in helping build the future of healthcare on the Peninsula.
Disclosure: This article was written by Tabatha Golat with the assistance of ChatGPT for editing and copy refinement.
