What you might not know about Foothills Hospital

Next time you visit a patient in Foothills or take a trip to the ER you may hold our local hospital in higher esteem once you learn about how inportant this institution is.

Foothills Hospital is one of Calgary’s iconic structures, standing proudly at the summit of 29 ST NW at 16 Ave NW in the community of Parkdale.  Built in 1966 at a cost of $21 million, the hospital has morphed into a large medical complex and is one of this country’s most recognized medical centres and one of Canada’s leading hospitals.  Countless Calgarians were born there, had their tonsils or appendix out there or said their final goodbyes to friends and family. 

As part of the University of Calgary and operated under the authority of the provincial body Alberta Health Services, Foothills Hospital services a population of two million people. That includes the City of Calgary and Southern Alberta, but you might not know that it provides advanced services to people in south eastern B.C., southern Saskatchewan and even into the U.S.

The facility is accredited by the Trauma Association of Canada and is a Level 1 trauma centre, the largest regional centre in the southern part of the province.  It is also highly accredited for stroke rehabilitation and is a premiere teaching and research hospital in partnership with the University of Calgary.

Foothills as a Medical Campus

Much more than a hospital, this comprehensive medical facility contains the University Medical Centre, the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Grace Women’s Health Centre, the Health Sciences Association of Alberta just to name a few special clinics.  The McCaig Tower, named for one of Foothills’ most prolific donors, opened in late 2010 adding another 93 beds for patients and 36 beds for ICU and 8 new operating rooms.

Cutting Edge Medical Technology

Foothills was the scene of a world first when the most powerful, movable MRI machine on the planet was installed in early 2009.  This machine ensured that Foothills patients would get the best, most accurate and entirely safe surgery as was humanly possible. The first brain surgery conducted robotically was conducted at Foothills, a landmark procedure to remove a tumour which made Canadian medical history.  Foothills and one other hospital in Toronto are the only two facilities in the country recognized as leading centres for the treatment of stroke.

With Calgary having a dedicated pediatric hospital, now just blocks away from the main Foothills campus, there has been little need to focus on pediatric care with the exception of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Other Little Known Facts about Foothills Hospital

The ER at Foothills is a 24/7 facility. In addition to that, there are 57 clinics with outpatient services within the hospital for virtually every discipline.  Also:

• There are 18 operating theatres.
• Maternity ward for high risk patients and a NICU.
• 26-bed ICU and 24 beds for cardiac care
• Education programs including the PARTY Program for junior high students, PADIS for drug and poison control, the Southern Alberta Renal Program and HOPE (Human Organ Procurement and Exchange) and Colon Cancer Screening.
• Foothills Hospital handles multiple organ transplant procedures including soft tissue.