St. Paul’s Hospital is an acute care, teaching and research hospital located in downtown Vancouver. It is home to many world-class medical and surgical programs, including heart and lung services, HIV/AIDS, mental health, emergency, critical care, kidney care, elder care and numerous surgical specialties.
St. Paul’s began as a 25-bed compassionate care hospital in 1894, named after both then-Bishop Paul Durieu, OMI, of New Westminster and Saint Paul. Mother Mary Fredrick from Astoria, Oregon was the first mother superior and administrator to lead its charge. In keeping with the philosophy of the Sisters of Providence, the new hospital was founded on the pledge of providing compassionate care for everyone in need – tested by a surge in Vancouver’s growth brought on by the Klondike gold rush in the 1890s.
Now a renowned teaching hospital with a strong research focus, St. Paul’s Hospital is recognized provincially, nationally and internationally for its work in the areas of heart disease, kidney disease, nutritional disorders, HIV/AIDS, and the care of the disadvantaged.