Building Passionate Community Support for the Royal Alexandra Hospital

Season’s Greetings

Happy Holidays from the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation! Click on the links below to hear holiday greetings from members of our Board of Directors. Wishing you and yours a wonderful festive season.

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Foundation News

Patient Story

Did You Know?

The Royal Alexandra Hospital services a geographic area that amounts to one third of Canada's total land mass.

The Royal Alexandra Hospital cares for 450,000 patients annually.

More than 28,000 surgeries are performed annually at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.

The Royal Alexandra Hospital’s Cardiac Services program is nationally recognized for its innovative work in the non-invasive treatment of heart disease.

The Royal Alexandra Hospital’s Aboriginal Diabetes Wellness Program was established in 1994 and integrates western medical knowledge with Aboriginal spirituality, medicines and traditional teachings.

In the 1980s, the Royal Alexandra Hospital became the first centre in North America to perform diagnostic cardiac angiograms as a day-patient procedure. This has since been established as standard practice around the world.

The Foundation’s eldest volunteer to date is a spry 83-year old; our youngest, a little girl who is eight.

The Royal Alexandra Hospital has provided patients, visitors, staff and volunteers with a smoke free site since 2005.

The Royal Alexandra Hospital has a Visual Arts Committee which offers artists an opportunity to exhibit their works throughout the hospital campus.

The hospital’s Gift Shop is staffed by volunteers from the Royal Alexandra Hospital Women’s Auxiliary, which was founded in 1899.

If language is an obstacle to clear communication, the Royal Alexandra Hospital provides interpreters for patients and their families at no cost.

The Royal Alexandra Hospital is the largest provider of cardiology services in Edmonton. Two-thirds of minimally invasive cardiac care services for Central and Northern Alberta, such as the radial approach to complex angioplasty and stenting, are performed at the Royal Alex.

Canada's first ever, stand-alone orthopedic centre is now under construction on the Royal Alexandra Hospital campus. The $60-million Orthopedic Surgery Centre is expected to be complete in 2010 and will accommodate 4,500 joint surgeries a year.

The C.K. Hui Heart Centre, opening in 2009 at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, will provide more efficient and streamlined care to the 50,000 heart patients we see each year.

The Royal Alexandra Hospital was the first location in Western Canada to begin using the da Vinci S robotic surgery system for laparoscopic radical prostatectomies - a procedure that removes the prostate gland and some surrounding tissue - to treat prostate cancer.

Our Patrons

Bill & Mary Jo Robbins

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

These famous words, first spoken by British statesman Winston Churchill, were quoted by Foundation President and CEO Andrew Otway to describe the philanthropy of Bill and Mary Jo Robbins.

Bill and Mary Jo Robbins have been long-time contributors to the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation through The Robbins Family Foundation. However, their incredibly generous gift of $5 million in 2006 was a special cause to celebrate.

As a result of their generosity, a new expansion on the campus of the Royal Alexandra Hospital was greatly enhanced. The Robbins Pavilion, opened in 2010, is a seven storey, state-of-the art building named in honour of Bill and Mary Jo Robbins. This impressive new building houses the Lois Hole Hospital for Women and the CK Hui Heart Centre, two centres of excellence at the Royal Alexandra Hospital that offer pre-eminent care in women's health and cardiology.

Bill modestly sums up their support when he says “We see the work of the Foundation and the hospital it serves as a wonderful opportunity in which to give back to this community.”

Additional Information about the Tenants of the Robbins Pavilion

Lois Hole Hospital for Women
Occupying five floors of the Robbins Pavilion, the Lois Hole Hospital for Women offers a wide spectrum of specialized services for women’s health. With state-of-the-art technology, innovative new programs, clinics, and new opportunities for research in gynecologic cancers, the Lois Hole Hospital offers excellence in care to women of all ages and in all stages of their lives.

CK Hui Heart Centre
The largest centre for minimally-invasive cardiac surgery in the Capital Health region, this consolidated and expanded service centre builds upon the internationally recognized work of the cardiac team at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.

Robbins Learning Centre
This sophisticated learning centre will enhance the Royal Alexandra Hospital’s role as a teaching and research leader. A high-tech auditorium accommodating 180 students will enable large classes to meet onsite and facilitate remote learning from other areas of the province and around the world.

Ted & Lois Hole Healing Garden
The Robbins Pavilion includes a roof-top healing garden, named after Lois Hole and her husband Ted, who shared a love of gardening. This space will be a tranquil area of respite for anyone who comes to visit.

Robbins Chapel & Walkway of Hope
A place of solace and peaceful reflection, the Robbins Chapel is an important part of an holistic approach to care that recognizes the health of body, mind and spirit. From the chapel, the Walkway of Hope will lead patients, families and staff through the Healing Garden to a bell tower.

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