Mission Statement

The mission of the GHCS is to promote the health, the prevention of illness, and the well-being of the Galiano Island community in response to expressed community need.

GHCS_Centre_Front_of_Building_closesupHistory

On January 10,1985 the Galiano Health Care Society was created and incorporated as a non-profit society. The five-member executive had a clear vision with a mission to find and purchase land and construct the ‘‘Finest Health Care Centre in the Gulf Islands.’’

The dream began to come true with the purchase of the Bellhouse field from the Lions Club at a reasonable cost. The CRD provided sufficient funds to enable the Society to purchase this land. The Island Trust made the necessary changes to the zoning regulations. Other funds came in the form of grants from the Provincial Government. Galiano residents can be very proud of achieving their goal of raising $265,000 between 1989 and 1990 for the construction of a fine Health Care Centre for their island.

Since then the operating costs of the centre are paid for by the members of Galiano Health Care Society through fundraising campaigns and generous donations from residents and visitors to Galiano Island.

A Proud History

Sharing and Collectivity

Before the Health Care Society and the current Health Care Centre existed, the residents of this island relied almost exclusively on one woman for health care: registered nurse Elizabeth Steward.

In the 1950s and ’60s, although we had some part-time visiting doctors, Betty Scoones (as she was known by locals) was who you went to for medical assistance of any kind.  The community remembers her generous assistance to people in need.

In 1984 some concerned residents decided to band together and form a non-profit health care society to provide more stable and accessible health care for Galiano.  In 1985 the Galiano Health Care Society was registered and work began on securing funding and a site.  In 1990 the Lions secured  10 acres from the Farmhouse Inn, and after considerable effort and work with both the CRD and the Islands Trust, the 2 acres that now house the Health Care Centre were rezoned and building could begin.   The centre officially opened its doors on April 27,1991.

This community is forever appreciative of the vision demonstrated by our pioneers in creating this Society,  which gave access to professional medical care, and continues to provide state-of -the-art medical care and health related programs to residents.