Surrey Memorial Hospital Expansion and Redevelopment

Surrey Memorial Hospital's greatly expanded Emergency Department is scheduled to open in 2013 and the Critical Care Tower in 2014. Stay up-to-date with the latest news and events about the Surrey Memorial Hospital redevelopment and expansion project. View the SMH Foundation video about the project.

Latest news

Preparing for the Emergency & Critical Care Tower openings

Early Implementation Opportunities (EIOs) are opportunities for clinical teams to test new ideas and methodology, realize benefits early and help them transition smoothly to the expanded campus of care at Surrey Memorial Hospital (SMH) that will include the exisiting hospital and the new Critical Care Tower. The new Emergency Department will open in 2013 and the rest of the Tower in 2014.

Some of these early initiatives have been already been implemented and both the SMH campus and the entire Fraser Health region are reaping its benefits. Here are some of EIOs in round 1:

1. Getting a head start in Laboratory
   
   The Laboratory Medicine and Pathology Program has implemented a new method to test for Clostridium difficile (C. diff), a bacteria that causes serious infections. Called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or nucleic acid test (NAT), this molecular diagnostic procedure detects the toxin B gene of C. diff.
   
   What’s really exciting about this initiative is the patient result turnaround time. Before, testing took about 24 to 72 hours; with this method, it only takes about two hours for the same amount of testing. The results will be on the chart within 24 hours of collection.
   
   
   Working in the Laboratory
   

2. Learning to treat a baby in real time
   
   With the new simulation lab and baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at SMH, staff can practice their skills before they face a real baby.
   
   Representing a full-term newborn, the new sim doll can simulate a variety of conditions and regular baby movements and sounds such as breathing, heartbeats and even seizures. Since the doll can simulate real-life situations, staff can learn to respond effectively if the same situation were to occur to a real newborn.
   
   
   Using the simulation baby
   
3. Pre-mixing medication for pediatric patients
   
   In November 2011, the Pharmacy department introduced the Centralized Intravenous Admixture (CIVA) program for their tiniest of patients. As an initiative to help staff prepare for the embedded Pediatric Pharmacy in the new Tower, the CIVA program serves pediatric and neonatal patients and prepares ready-to-use drug doses (known as unit doses) for these patients, increasing patient safety.
   
   Before, nurses would have to dilute an intravenous (IV) drug, extract and measure the correct amount before each use. Now, the drugs are conveniently prepared by Pharmacy in the unit dose format which gives nurses more time to directly care for patients.

To read more information about SMH Redevelopment & Expansion, please visit our blog. If you have further questions or comments, please email SMHTower@fraserhealth.ca.

SMH expansion in local newspapers

A five-part series of ad, each covering a different aspect of the redevelopment and expansion at SMH, ran from Oct. 25 to Nov. 22 in community newspapers covering Langley, White Rock, North Delta and Surrey.

Virtual tour

This video shows artists’ renderings of various rooms in the SMH Critical Care Tower. Specifics of the rooms may change during design and construction, but the video will give you a good idea of how the tower will feel to patients coming in for treatment.

Public notices

Check out our latest public notices about access to and parking around the Surrey Memorial Hospital. Last update on November 10, 2011.

Want to learn more?

Interested in the Surrey Memorial Hospital Redevelopment & Expansion? Check out our blog for weekly updates on Surrey Memorial Hospital’s expanding campus of care.