Royal Columbian Hospital serves New Westminster and the Greater Vancouver region as a major regional hospital under Fraser Health. It provides a wide spectrum of acute hospital services including a 24-hour Emergency Department, major surgery, maternity and neonatal care, intensive care, and specialist services like cardiology, neurosurgery, thoracic surgery, and high risk obstetrics. It is one of the few hospitals in the province that combines trauma, cardiac surgery, neurosurgery and acute mental health care on a single site.
Construction redevelopment is underway which includes a new acute-care tower, expanded emergency department, more operating rooms, upgraded imaging and laboratory services, and enhanced patient capacity.

Patient Services and Facilities

Patients can expect comprehensive medical and surgical care. Maternity services include levels one to three obstetric care, neonatal intensive care, and paediatric inpatient services. Mental health and substance use wellness services are housed in the Mental Health and Substance Use Wellness Centre, which offers both inpatient and outpatient treatment (mood disorders, reproductive psychiatry, adolescent psychiatry, substance use clinic, urgent psychiatric referrals). Diagnostic imaging, laboratory, orthopaedics, urology, plastic surgery, ophthalmology and more are available. Shared rooms are standard, with private or semi-private options possibly at extra cost. Amenities include a café, gift shop, visitor services.

Accessibility and Practical Details

Address is 330 East Columbia Street, New Westminster, BC V3L 3W7. The site is serviced by public transport including bus and SkyTrain. Parking is limited; parkades exist (Health Care Centre (“HCC”) parkade, Mental Health and Substance Use (“MHSU”) parkade) with payment via pay stations and via the hangTag app (both Apple App Store & Google Play). Entrance and parking access may be affected by redevelopment construction. Visiting hours are open but considerate of other patients; visitors with illness or exposure to infection are asked to stay home. Health records services are available during business-hours.

Redevelopment and Capacity

The hospital is undergoing a multi-phase redevelopment project. Phase one included the opening of a 75-bed Mental Health and Substance Use Wellness Centre. Subsequent phases are expanding emergency department bays, increasing operating rooms, enhancing imaging units, and adding beds. The goal is to improve timely access to tests, surgeries, and acute care, modernize facilities, and expand service capacity.

What Users Should Know

If coming for emergency, patients will be triaged based on severity; wait times vary depending on demand. For non-urgent care, referrals are often required for specialized services. Some services operate in separate buildings (for example, the wellness centre). For those using digital tools, Fraser Health offers MyHealth app/web browser access for employees/staff. Hospital is public, non-profit, and regulated under Fraser Health. In life-threatening situations call 9-1-1.