The Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation in New Westminster, British Columbia, has announced a C$30 million ($22.3 million) gift from Canadian philanthropist and business leader Jim Pattison, who signed the Giving Pledge in 2019.

The gift will support the second phase of Royal Columbian Hospital’s C$1.49 billion ($1.1 billion) redevelopment project, which is slated to be completed in 2025. Pattison’s gift is focused on construction of the Acute Care Tower, which will include an interventional super floor featuring operating rooms and suites for interventional radiology and cardiology, a new emergency department with its own imaging unit, and new larger maternity, pediatric, and neonatal intensive care units, as well as multiple floors for acute and critical care patients. In recognition of the gift, the tower will be named in Pattison’s honor.

“We want to express our sincere gratitude to Jim Pattison for this historical donation. Royal Columbian Hospital serves BC’s biggest health region, and this gift, the largest in our region’s history, will ensure we can provide exceptional care to the patients who rely on the Columbian. Upon completion, the Acute Care Tower will further elevate the lifesaving care Royal Columbian Hospital already delivers to patients across the province,” said Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation CEO Jeff Norris. “Major improvements are being made in service to an even larger vision: ensuring uncompromising care to every single person who needs it. The generosity of Jim Pattison—and all the donors who have answered our call—serves as a source of inspiration for others to help us achieve this vision.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Ninoon)