Thousands of Qualicum residents are about to get a family doctor once a new medical clinic opens the doors in early November 2026. The Primrose Medical Clinic developed through community partnerships and philanthropy is hoping it will make a major dent in the area’s waitlist. CTV’s Andy Garland reports from Qualicum Beach.
Located at 661 Primrose Ave., the $1.5-million facility was developed under the leadership of MIHA, in partnership with the Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation.
Primrose Medical Centre has officially opened in Qualicum Beach.
A familiar song, a shared rhythm, a moment of connection. Thanks to the Music Heals Foundation, more residents at Dufferin Place are experiencing the comfort and joy of music therapy. In 2026, Music Heals provided matching funds that supported music therapy each week at the Nanaimo long-term care home. This support expanded individual and small…
A Legacy of Care Lives On Transformational Impact in Oceanside Community from a Gift in Will For Michael Wansink, leaving a gift in his Will to improve healthcare in the community he called home was a natural extension of the values of service and caring for others he lived by. Guided by Michael’s children Matthew and Michelle – the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation (NDHF) was able to…
Dean Thullner Veljacic sits down with Barney Ellis-Perry, CEO of NDHF, to discuss the Fair Care Alliance, the new critical care building, advocacy, upcoming projects, and what keeps him up at night.
Critical Care
Critical Care includes all acute care – emergency, ICU and HAU, and surgery. In June 2023, the new ICU opened with all the required critical equipment funded by
community donors and has been operating at full capacity since then. We are excited to share that the HAU is on track for expected completion by summer 2025, ensuring that our community has access to the highest standard of care.
Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our community, and a transformational gift from the Windsor Plywood Foundation, we have almost achieved our fundraising goal.
Planning for the future is an important part of what we do, and planned gifts from our generous, visionary donors help ensure better healthcare for generations to come. Planned gifts we accept include Charitable Bequests through Wills, Charitable Remainder Trusts, Charitable Gift Annuities, Gifts of Stock and more. For more information about making a planned gift to the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation, please click the link below.
As a monthly giving donor, you will help build a future of healthcare excellence over time, benefiting the ones you care for most. Together, monthly donors enable long-term, sustainable planning to support the delivery of better healthcare in our community.
Making a donation in memory of a family, friend or other loved one is a wonderful way to honour their memory, while also making a gift that will keep on giving back to the community through better healthcare. Donations are also a great way to celebrate life’s important milestones such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, retirements and more.
To make a gift of securities in kind, please download this fillable form and instruct your broker to initiate the transfer on your behalf. We sell the shares immediately upon receipt, and send you a charitable tax receipt for the fair market value at the date of transfer.
Cancer Care
Our work continues to support local cancer care in Nanaimo, including specialized pathology equipment to examine tissue biopsies for suspected cases of cancer. We’re also helping to move forward the project around a regional cancer center, keeping patients closer to their support networks. This essential area of care is long overdue, and has affected so many families on the island.
Community and Family Health
This area gives focus to children’s health, family doctor recruitment support with the Division of Family Practice, occupational health, palliative care, senior’s care, and education as well as other support for our nurses. We have already had excellent success in this area, with the recruitment of new doctors, and more on the way. Several key partnerships are already in place, and we continue to pursue additional alliances to expand our circle of impact.
Heart and Stroke Care
This area of care includes a new cath lab and equipment, as well as several recent equipment purchases such as echocardiology machine & TEE probe, cardiac ultrasound, a cardiac stress test system, two wireless ECG machines, an echo stretcher, power chairs for our pacemaker clinic, and a Holter scanning system. Costs were also covered for additional staff training on advanced cardiac life support, and heart dysrhythmia.
Innovation
It is only through innovation that we can ensure we maintain the highest standards of care for our community. “We have always done it that way” is not an acceptable answer for our team. We know that to be a driving force in improving healthcare in Central and North Vancouver Island, we must constantly seek new and innovative ways to pursue our vision.
We continue to press for innovation in the areas of advocacy, laboratory services, medical imaging, medical professional education, and pharmacy, among others.
And once again, mutually beneficial partnerships grounded in the desire to improve healthcare outcomes are key to the Foundation having an impact well beyond our traditional resources.
Mental Health
We continue to seek out ways to improve and expand medical detox, VI scan (Vancouver Island Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect program), and youth wellness outreach. These essential areas are interwoven with other areas of care, and we seek ways to innovate and create greater impact.
The Foundation is please to accept Electronic Funds Transfer. To arrange an electronic funds transfer please contact our office in advance at 250-755-7690 to ensure you receive your charitable tax receipt.