Vernon Jubilee Hospital
A regional hospital in Vernon, British Columbia, providing emergency, acute, surgical, obstetrical, and other core medical services.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Vernon Jubilee Hospital is a regional hospital in Vernon, British Columbia, serving the city and communities in the Regional District of North Okanagan. The hospital is situated in the Okanagan region between Kelowna and Kamloops and functions as an important local centre for emergency, acute, medical, surgical, and obstetrical care. The origins of the hospital date to the late nineteenth century. Local residents began examining the possibility of establishing a hospital in Vernon in 1895, responding to the needs of a growing community. The institution was incorporated in 1897. Over time, it developed from a local hospital into a regional facility offering a broad group of core physician and hospital specialties. The site is commonly described as having two principal portions: the older hospital tower and the newer Polson Tower. The Polson Tower was developed as part of the Kelowna/Vernon Hospitals Project and substantially expanded the site’s clinical and support capacity. It added approximately 16,815 square metres of space and brought together or enlarged emergency, maternity, paediatrics, ambulatory care, surgical, intensive-care, and medical-device-reprocessing functions. The tower opened to patients in October 2011 and received LEED Gold certification, making it the first building in Vernon to achieve that designation according to the referenced hospital account. Vernon Jubilee Hospital provides 24-hour emergency and trauma services, acute medical and surgical care, obstetrical services, and core specialty services. It also supports inpatient and outpatient care through its emergency, maternity, paediatric, surgical, intensive-care, and ambulatory functions. The hospital’s published capacity has changed as redevelopment and bed reconfiguration projects were completed. Reference material describes a 196-bed hospital, while a later expansion account describes an increase from 148 beds, including temporary beds, to 162 beds after the addition and relocation of beds. These figures reflect different stages or definitions of capacity rather than a single consistently reported total. The hospital does not provide every highly specialized service required by patients in the region. Where treatment is outside its capabilities, patients may be transferred to Kelowna General Hospital in nearby Kelowna. Vernon Jubilee Hospital is part of British Columbia’s publicly funded health-care system and is operated within the Interior Health regional health authority.
History
Vernon Jubilee Hospital developed in response to the need for a permanent hospital in Vernon, a community in British Columbia’s Okanagan region. Preliminary examinations for constructing a hospital began in 1895 after local residents called for such an institution. The hospital was incorporated in 1897, establishing the foundation for a health-care facility that would serve Vernon and surrounding communities. During the following decades, the hospital expanded its role as the area’s population and health-care needs grew. Its services evolved beyond basic local hospital functions to include emergency care, acute inpatient treatment, surgery, obstetrics, and a range of core physician specialties. The hospital became a significant regional facility for the North Okanagan, while more complex or highly specialized cases could be referred elsewhere in the Interior Health system. The modern site consists principally of an older hospital tower and the newer Polson Tower. The Polson Tower was created through the Kelowna/Vernon Hospitals Project, a major redevelopment initiative intended to modernize Vernon’s hospital infrastructure and increase capacity. The project added about 16,815 square metres, or approximately 181,000 square feet, to the site. Its clinical program included an expanded emergency department, maternity and paediatric services, ambulatory care, surgical services, intensive care, and medical-device-reprocessing facilities. The Polson Tower began receiving patients in October 2011. Its opening marked a major change in the hospital’s physical organization and clinical capacity. The building was also awarded LEED Gold certification and was identified in the reference material as the first LEED Gold building in Vernon. The redevelopment supported more contemporary patient-care environments and expanded the hospital’s ability to deliver acute and specialty services locally. Subsequent bed work included the addition of 60 beds, of which 14 were new and 46 were moved from other areas of the hospital. The project placed particular emphasis on increasing the proportion of single-patient rooms, replacing some four-bed and double-occupancy ward arrangements. One account describes the resulting capacity as 162 beds, compared with 140 regular and eight temporary beds before the work. The hospital is also described in broader reference material as having 196 beds, indicating that reported capacity varies according to the date, project phase, or counting method used. Today, Vernon Jubilee Hospital is an Interior Health facility providing 24-hour emergency and trauma care, acute medical and surgical services, obstetrical care, intensive care, paediatric and maternity services, ambulatory treatment, and other core specialties. It serves Vernon and the Regional District of North Okanagan. Patients requiring services unavailable at the hospital may be transferred to Kelowna General Hospital in Kelowna, a larger referral centre in the region.
- 2011
Polson Tower opens
[1]The Polson Tower officially opened to patients in October, adding major clinical and support space to the hospital site.
- 2011
Polson Tower achieves LEED Gold
[1]The new tower received LEED Gold certification and was described as Vernon’s first building to achieve that certification.
- 1897
Hospital incorporated
[1]Vernon Jubilee Hospital was incorporated, formalizing the institution that would serve Vernon and the surrounding North Okanagan area.
- 1895
Local planning for a Vernon hospital begins
[1]Residents began examining the possibility of establishing a hospital in Vernon in response to local health-care needs.
Bed capacity expansion and room reconfiguration
[1]A later project added 60 beds, including 14 new beds, relocated 46 existing beds, and increased the described capacity from 148 to 162 beds while expanding single-patient accommodation.
Products and positioning
Regional public hospital providing core acute, emergency, surgical, obstetrical, and specialty services for Vernon and the North Okanagan, with transfers to larger referral facilities when advanced services are required.
Emergency care
Emergency and trauma services
Vernon Jubilee Hospital operates a 24-hour emergency department and provides trauma services for urgent and emergent conditions in Vernon and the North Okanagan. Patients whose injuries or illnesses require services beyond the hospital’s capabilities can be stabilized and transferred to a larger regional referral centre.
Hospital services
Acute medical and surgical care
The hospital provides core acute medical and surgical services, supporting inpatient treatment and operative care for conditions that can be managed within a regional hospital setting. These services form a central part of its role within the Interior Health system.
Women’s and children’s health · 2011
Obstetrical, maternity, and paediatric care
Obstetrical care is among the hospital’s core services. The Polson Tower redevelopment expanded maternity and paediatric facilities, strengthening local services for childbirth, maternal care, and children’s hospital treatment.
Specialty care · 2011
Ambulatory and surgical services
The Polson Tower includes ambulatory-care and surgical areas designed to support procedures, consultations, and treatment that do not always require prolonged admission. These facilities complement the hospital’s inpatient and emergency functions.
Critical care · 2011
Intensive care
Intensive-care facilities are part of the hospital’s expanded clinical program. They provide higher-acuity monitoring and treatment for seriously ill patients who require care beyond standard inpatient units, subject to the hospital’s regional scope and referral arrangements.
Brand decisions
2011
Redevelopment through the Polson Tower projectStrategyBackground
The hospital required modernized facilities and additional clinical capacity to support emergency, maternity, paediatric, surgical, intensive-care, and ambulatory services.
Action taken
A new tower was constructed as part of the Kelowna/Vernon Hospitals Project, adding approximately 16,815 square metres of space and expanding several clinical and support departments.
Aftermath
Polson Tower opened to patients in October 2011 and received LEED Gold certification. The project materially changed the hospital’s facilities and service capacity.
Project cost. $180 million (2011 project completion)
- Expansion and reconfiguration of inpatient bedsStrategy
Background
The hospital needed additional capacity and more contemporary inpatient accommodation, including a greater proportion of single-patient rooms.
Action taken
The project added 60 beds, with 14 new beds and 46 relocated from elsewhere in the hospital, while converting capacity toward single-patient rooms.
Aftermath
The cited project account reports an increase from 148 beds, including temporary beds, to 162 beds. Another reference describes the hospital more broadly as having 196 beds.
Recent events
- 2011
Polson Tower opens to patients[1]
Other · Product launch
The new Polson Tower at Vernon Jubilee Hospital officially opened for patients in October 2011. The project expanded the hospital’s physical space and clinical facilities, including emergency, maternity, paediatric, ambulatory, surgical, intensive-care, and support functions.
- 2011
Vernon Jubilee Hospital receives LEED Gold certification for Polson Tower[1]
Other
The Polson Tower was awarded LEED Gold certification and was described in the reference material as the first building in Vernon to receive that designation.
Bed expansion and reconfiguration at Vernon Jubilee Hospital[1]
Other · Product generation
A redevelopment phase added 60 beds, including 14 net-new beds, while relocating 46 beds from other parts of the hospital. The work increased the described capacity from 148 beds, including temporary beds, to 162 beds and emphasized single-patient rooms.
Sources2 sources
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