Interior Health will be reopening a long-closed cardiac care unit at Royal Inland Hospital in early 2027.

The work involves moving the four-bed unit and integrating it into the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU).

Along with that work, Interior Health said it will also be investing in cardiac care education for new staff, as well as further recruitment efforts to staff the unit.

“These efforts build employee expertise by investing in targeted education and development, creating a sustainable internal pipeline of coronary care unit (CCU) staffing. This is supported by ongoing recruitment of nursing staff,” said Diane Shendruk, IH vice-president of clinical operations.

The change won’t result in more beds at the hospital, since the CCU beds were previously being used in another unit, and donated equipment was still being put to use.

“It will improve the flow of critically ill cardiac patients through the hospital, getting them the right care in the right location,” said Dr. Nicole Desforges, senior medical director of acute services.

The CCU was first established in 2018, but shuttered in 2020 due to staff shortages related to the pandemic. Its initial opening was supported by equipment funded by Iccha/Wish, a non-profit organization focused on raising money for the hospital that has, to date, raised more than $2.6 million.

Co-founder Al Patel had been growing increasingly frustrated with delays in reopening the unit, but said news of the reopening was “the greatest news I could ever hear.”

Patel founded Iccha/Wish with coronary care in mind, but in the past it has funded a range of equipment, including X-ray machines, neo-natal equipment, ultrasound machines, monitors and more, as well as bursaries for nursing students studying at Thompson Rivers University.

Each year, Iccha/Wish holds a gala to fundraise for various projects. Now that the CCU is being re-established, Patel has set his sights on the next step — a catheterization lab at Royal Inland Hospital.

Currently, anyone needing the services of a cath lab must travel to Kelowna. Patients can be stabilized at Royal Inland, but must travel to receive further care. Patel wants that to change.

Interior Health has previously said there is not enough patient demand to warrant a catheterization lab in Kamloops, but has suggested that there will be by 2040.

“We have the money. We have the skills. Waiting until 2040 is outrageous. We cannot wait that long,” Patel said.