Well Wishes Program at qathet General Hospital

Powell River Airport planned shutdown: April 8 to June 9, 2024

From April 8 to June 9, 2024, the Powell River Airport is undergoing a planned shutdown to make upgrades to the runway.

During this time, patient safety, care and continuity of services remain our top priority. Due to the temporary closure, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is implementing several operational adjustments regarding qathet General Hospital (qGH) patient transfers, transportation of referred-out lab specimens, and staff and medical staff travel.

VCH is working with BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) to add additional helicopter services to transport those patients who would normally travel by fixed-wing air ambulance. High priority patients will continue to be transported by BCEHS helicopter.

Patients who are medically stable and returning to the qathet Region from other hospitals will return by helicopter or ground transport, as per usual processes. If inclement weather prevents air travel in or out of Powell River, VCH will follow BCEHS’ established protocol.

As Pacific Coastal Air will be unable to fly into Powell River during this time, Harbour Air is adding float plane flights to Vancouver Harbour and YVR South Terminal seven days a week.

While qGH Lab Services will continue to complete the majority of patient specimen testing onsite, lab samples that require testing in the Lower Mainland will be sent via ground courier during this time. Routine blood products from Canadian blood services will continue to be shipped by ground transport, and urgent requests will be transported on Harbour Air, as needed.

Thank you for your understanding and patience during this time.

Words of encouragement or well wishes are important in keeping spirits up. A number of Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) hospitals offer a volunteer-run well wishes program that lets you send messages by email to friends or family during their hospital stay.

How to send by email

Check that you have all the information you need
You must include the following patient details so your well wishes are delivered to the right person:
- Patient’s first and last name
- Room number, unit or location - If you do not have the patient's room number or location, you will need to call the hospital the patient is in and ask for the room number and location details. If the patient is in the Intensive Care Unit, it may limit or not allow items from the outside to be brought in. If the patient is in the ICU, ask to be connected to that unit to ask if your email would be allowed before sending it.
Write your message

Send your message and the required information to the qathet General Hospital Well Wishes Program.

Email the Well Wishes Program at WellWishesPR@vch.ca.

Monday: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Thursday: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Friday: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed

Visiting hours may vary depending on the unit. Please call the qathet General Hospital main line at (604) 485-3211 to determine visiting times before your visit.

This program delivers email messages only.

If you'd like to send your message by mail, you will need to send it yourself through the regular postal service. Address your letter with the patient's name, room number/unit/location, name of the hospital, and full address.

qathet General Hospital

qathet General Hospital (formerly Powell River General Hospital) is a 33-bed facility providing services that include surgery, endoscopy, ICU, obstetrics, in-patient psychiatry, oncology, emergency and diagnostic services.