FAQs

The Nanaimo Regional Hospital District (NRHD) provides annual capital funding to Island Health in support of local healthcare facilities under the Hospital District Act. It is an independent entity that has its own budget and is governed by a board of elected representatives who sit on the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) board. Communities within the RDN include City of Nanaimo, District of Lantzville, City of Parksville and the Town of Qualicum Beach, as well as seven unincorporated electoral areas.

Note: The NRHD is not involved in financing or administering hospital operations. Island Health is responsible for the delivery of healthcare in the region.

Working with Island Health, the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District supports a healthy region by investing in healthcare infrastructure such as Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, Oceanside Health Centre, and three long-term care facilities: Dufferin Place in Nanaimo, Trillium Lodge in Parksville and Eagle Park Health Care Facility in Qualicum Beach.

Each year, Island Health reviews priority health projects and determines the cost of implementing them. Island Health then submits requests for capital funding to the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District (NRHD).

The NRHD’s board of directors considers the requests and votes on whether to fund them. The NRHD typically provides 40 per cent of the funding for capital equipment and capital projects for local health facilities. The remaining 60 per cent is funded by the provincial government or through donations provided by the hospital foundation and hospital auxiliary.

NRHD funding comes from annual minor capital grants for equipment and projects funded through a tax requisition as well as major capital project support, which is funded through borrowing.

Each year, Island Health reviews priority health projects and determines the cost of implementing them. Island Health then submits requests for capital funding to the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District (NRHD). The NRHD’s board of directors considers the requests and votes on whether to fund them.  

The NRHD board is made up of elected representatives who also sit on the Regional District of Nanaimo Board. Communities within the Regional District of Nanaimo include the municipalities of Nanaimo, Lantzville, Parksville, and Qualicum Beach, as well as seven unincorporated electoral areas. 

NRHD board members for the 2022-2026 term are: Ian Thorpe (Chair), Janice Perrino (Acting Chair), Jessica Stanley, Vanessa Craig, Lauren Melanson, Bob Rogers, Leanne Salter, Lehann Wallace, Stuart McLean, Teunis Westbroek, Doug O'Brien, Sean Wood, Mark Swain, Leonard Krog, Sheryl Armstrong, Paul Manly, Tyler Brown, Ben Geselbracht and Erin Hemmens.

Building local hospitals and other public healthcare facilities, and purchasing health care equipment, is funded through property taxes of RDN residents, with the funds being administered by the NRHD.

Tax rates are determined on a property assessment basis by applying NRHD’s budgeted funding obligation to Island Health as well as debt repayments and transfers to reserve to the total assessed value of properties within the NRHD’s boundaries.

The NRHD submits a tax requisition for the funds required to the Surveyor of Taxes for the electoral areas and to the City of Nanaimo, District of Lantzville, City of Parksville and Town of Qualicum Beach for the municipal areas. These organizations are responsible for collecting funds on behalf of the NRHD. 

For more information about the NRHD budget, please contact Tiffany Moore, Chief Financial Officer at 250-390-4111 or toll-free at 1-877-607-411 or by email at tmoore@rdn.bc.ca. 

For Island Health, please email vislandhealth.info@viha.ca

Each year, Island Health reviews priority health projects, determines the cost of implementing them, and then submits requests for capital funding to the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District (NRHD). The NRHD considered several major projects identified in Island Health’s 10-year capital plan. 

In April 2022, after seeking additional information about the proposed projects and inviting presentations from community stakeholders on their healthcare challenges and infrastructure priorities, the NRHD confirmed its five capital planning priorities as a new patient tower, cancer centre, cardiac catheterization lab and high acuity unit (HAU), all to be located at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, plus a new long-term care facility. These interconnected projects will make the biggest impact towards addressing the critical shortage of appropriate healthcare facilities and specialized services needed to respond to the staggering medical demands of the Central and North Island.

We are pleased that the Government of British Columbia approved the new 12-bed high acuity unit (HAU) to be developed as part of the new intensive care unit currently under construction at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH), with construction set to start in fall 2023. The new 12-bed facility will provide care for critically ill patients. 

However, the remaining new facilities and specialized services are urgently needed to serve the increasing medical needs of the region and the entire Central and North Island’s rapidly growing and aging population. According to our medical leaders, the demands are staggering and without addressing the critical health service gaps we’re facing, the strain on our healthcare system will only continue to worsen. 

• NRGH is the only designated tertiary hospital north of the Malahat providing specialized services to patients from across the Central and North Island. The patient tower, built in 1963, is beyond the end of its useful life and is not designed to meet best practices and modern medical standards. Patient rooms and care spaces are outdated and very poorly designed, crowded and compromise infection control. Due to operating at overcapacity, patients are often cared for in inappropriate areas of the hospital.
• Several programs, notably cardiology (heart care) and oncology (cancer care) are completely under-resourced and some specialized services are not currently available north of the Malahat. This means patients in the Central and North Island who have had heart attacks, heart disease or cancer have trouble getting the care they need, when they need it. This includes having to travel to Victoria or the lower mainland for treatment. 
• With a significant shortage of long-term care beds in the region and long waitlists, many seniors end up in the hospital who would be better cared for in facilities dedicated to their complex care needs. 

The Regional District of Nanaimo has a large aging population and one of the oldest in Canada. Our population is expected to continue to grow and age. We have a higher percentage of seniors than the rest of the province. Nearly 30 per cent of RDN residents are 65 years or older vs. just over 21 per cent for B.C. overall. Beyond the RDN, the size of our aging population across the Central and North Island is also rapidly growing.

According to our medical leaders, this means a large percentage of the population north of the Malahat has higher and more complex medical needs, including higher rates of hospitalization, cancer, heart disease and other medical conditions that are not being adequately addressed due to the lack of specialized services, and hospital and residential care facilities

These projects will provide modern facilities designed with seniors' needs in mind and medical services that will support them to stay healthy or get the care they need locally. A new long-term care home will help alleviate the shortage of long-term care beds in the region and long waitlists. It will allow seniors to move out of hospitals and unsuitable situations, allowing them to age with appropriate care and dignity in or near their home communities.

These specialized and enhanced services are essential for providing Central and North Island residents with appropriate, patient-centered high-quality healthcare when and where they need it.

On March 23, 2023, the B.C. Government announced that the new 12-bed intensive care unit currently under construction at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) has been expanded to include a new 12-bed high acuity unit.

On October 19, 2023 the B.C. Government announced its approval of a long-term care to be built in Lantzville pending a successful rezoning process.  Construction is anticipated to start in 2025.  

On April 16, 2024 the Province announced business plan approval for the Nanaimo Cancer Centre at NRGH.   The approved business plan included the new three-storey cancer centre that will  be built next to the ambulatory care building. It will house a computed topography (CT) simulator, a PET/CT diagnostic scanner and an oncology ambulatory care unit with 12 exam rooms, four consultation rooms and space for medical physicists and radiation therapists. The lower level will contain four linear accelerator vaults, which are heavy concrete structures that contain radiation equipment used in the treatment of cancer patients. Upgrades to NRGH have also been approved, including a new single-storey addition to the ambulatory care building that will be home to a new community oncology network clinic and expanded pharmacy. 

The NRHD is grateful to the government for approving the HAU, the business plan for the cancer centre and the long-term care facility to move ahead. However, there is still an urgent need for a new patient tower and cardiac catheterization lab at NRGH.

The capital cost of the five projects, based on information provided to NRHD in Island Health’s 2022 10-year draft capital plan, was estimated at $1.795 billion. The NRHD’s share of funding would be approximately $519 million based on that estimation.

These figures are subject to change.

For these projects to be feasible, we need to start saving now.  Significant tax increases are required to meet this commitment. The NRHD tax requisition was almost doubled in 2022 and there is a 28.2% tax requisition increase in 2023, with 28.2% planned for successive years. The goal is to accumulate the reserves to reduce reliance on debt and prepare the NRHD to meet its partnership funding obligation for these large priority projects that are urgently required in the region. This robust financial plan is a clear and resolute indication to the Province that our communities are committed to seeing these projects realized.

There is a significant shortage of long-term care beds in the region.  Like many communities, there is significant need for more long-term care beds in the region. As if often the case – when a patient is awaiting placement in long-term care but can’t safely continue to live in the community, they end up waiting in a hospital bed.  While they are still receiving safe, high-quality care in the hospital, they would be better cared for in facilities specifically designed and staffed to meet their complex care needs.

The new long-term care facility will provide the following:

• 306 long-term care beds, including a 20-bed hospice unit and a 26-bed specialized population unit.
• The new facility is a three-story design composed of four main buildings, each containing six “households” that will include single bedrooms.  Residents will share social and recreational spaces such as a dining room, outdoor spaces and lounge areas.  
• The facility will also include social and recreational spaces such as a dining room, outdoor spaces and lounge areas.

The NRHD is not involved in the design or construction of the facility.  Inquiries can be directed to Island Health Long Term Care Team at LTC.NewBuilds@islandhealth.ca.

As part of the overall project plan, Island Health has developed a human resource plan to staff the long-term care facility.   For general inquiries regarding Island Health staffing please email vislandhealth.info@viha.ca .

The project will be funded jointly between the B.C. Government through Island Health and the NRHD.  The NRHD has committed to fund 40% of the capital cost of the long-term care facility.

The current capital cost of the project is estimated to be $286 million.  The B.C. Government will invest $171.5 million while the NRHD will invest approximately $114 million.  The total cost of the project will not be determined until the construction of the project is completed.

Island Health identified these properties through a comprehensive search for potential locations for the long-term care facility.

According to the B.C. Government, the project is the procurement phase with construction planned to begin in 2025 and complete in 2027.

A rezoning application has been made to the District of Lantzville for the properties at 6910 and 6930 Lantzville Road.  Questions regarding the rezoning process can be directed to the District of Lantzville Planning Department by email to planning@lantzville.ca or by telephone at #250-933-8093.