$4-million matching donation by Jim Pattison to kickstart upgrades to Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre

THE Surrey Hospitals Foundation announced on Thursday that Canadian businessman Jim Pattison is making a $4 million matching donation to kick start a fundraising campaign to upgrade the 10-year-old Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre (JPOCSC) in Surrey. The Surrey Hospitals Foundation has a fundraising goal of $8 million by end of 2021 to purchase critical diagnostic medical equipment for the Centre.

“I’ve always believed in giving back to the community and particularly in the area of health care,” said Pattison, Chairman and CEO of the Jim Pattison Group. “This Centre has served the residents in Surrey and the Fraser Valley, and I am happy to be part of helping the Surrey Outpatient Centre with their new medical equipment.”

The 188,000 square-foot award-winning LEED Gold outpatient facility located at the Green Timbers site near Surrey Memorial Hospital (SMH) was opened in 2011, constructed at a cost of $237 million, to relieve pressure on the health care system by consolidating the services that don’t require an overnight stay at SMH, into one stand-alone facility.

Its specialized clinics, surgical and diagnostic services have been key resources for the Fraser Health region, which serves 1 in 20 Canadians, and its unique services are utilized by patients throughout British Columbia. After a decade of service, the Centre is coming of age and requires additional investment beyond what is available from the health care system.

“In the 10 years since it first opened, the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre has earned an exceptional reputation for excellence in care, innovation, quality design, and maintenance,” said Dr. Victoria Lee, President and CEO of Fraser Health. “Fraser Health has made contributions to replace and maintain much of the Centre’s medical equipment, but there are several large critical diagnostic equipment that need funding and we are so grateful for Mr. Pattison’s additional investment to help us make these purchases.”

Since inception, this unique Centre has been a magnet for doctors, surgeons and other specialists. When its doors were opened, JPOCSC had approximately 100 clinicians and 50 clinics. Today, the medical physician team has grown to 527 and the Centre boasts 56 clinics.

JPOCSC provides a complete range of scheduled outpatient services, including day surgery, diagnostic services and specialized health clinics. It features:

* more than 100 examination rooms and six operating rooms,
* over 50 clinics, including the world-renowned Breast Health Clinic,
* a comprehensive medical imaging floor with two MRIs, including a donor-supported new 3Tesla MRI,
* a pain management facility which treats 800 patients a month,
* urology services, including extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy to non-invasively treat kidney stones and other stones in the gallbladder and liver, previously only available in Vancouver.
* the first comprehensive HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C clinic in the Fraser Valley,
* and a post-COVID-19 recovery and research clinic.

“The Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre has served more than three million patients since it first opened in 2011 and continues to provide specialized services to British Columbians to this day,” said Jane Adams, President and CEO of the Surrey Hospitals Foundation. “Mr. Pattison’s generous matching donation will help us reach out to the community to fundraise to keep the Centre current with innovative lifesaving equipment that will not only help better diagnose and treat patients, but also help us attract and retain the best medical talent from around the world.”

Pattison previously donated $5 million in 2011 towards the Centre with the community matching his gift through donations to the Surrey Hospitals Foundation’s 100 Days to Give campaign.

For more information about the Surrey Hospitals Foundation, visit www.surreyhospitalsfoundation.com.