Smooth Operation

Burnaby Hospital’s soon-to-be-completed Jim Pattison Surgery Centre will revolutionize care for both patients and hospital staff

Dr. Tim Kostamo admits that orthopedic surgeons don’t have the most relaxed schedules, but one particular Friday commute prescribed him a reality check. “I was driving to work at 6:15 in the morning, and I looked over and saw Jimmy Pattison driving to work at the same time,” the head of orthopedic surgery at Burnaby Hospital remembers. The prominent 96-year-old business magnate was taking on the same traffic as the surgeon—just another day at the office. “I was so impressed,” says Kostamo.

Still, tackling the daily commute isn’t what Kostamo most admires in the nonagenarian: it’s Pattison’s philanthropy. “He’s a hardworking guy who has given lots of money to healthcare and education causes, and I really respect that,” says the surgeon.

Kostamo has witnessed Pattison’s generosity firsthand, most recently when he committed a $5 million matching gift towards Burnaby Hospital’s Proud History, Bright Future redevelopment campaign. “I am proud to make this contribution to help Burnaby Hospital provide people with excellent medical care close to home,” Pattison said when the donation was announced in 2022.

The first phase of the redevelopment, now well underway, focuses on four key areas: a new maternity centre, a new mental health unit, expanded emergency care and improved surgical services, including four new operating rooms. The new surgical centre is aptly named after Pattison himself. “For us, it was a huge boost to have him involved,” says Kostamo, who was also a Burnaby Hospital Foundation board member. “For him to give us that critical donation early into redevelopment was very encouraging.”

Kostamo has been a surgeon at Burnaby Hospital for 17 years (fun fact: the nurse who was the OR manager at the time he was hired was the same nurse that delivered him as a baby) and notes the essential advancements that have taken place during his almost-two decades at the community hospital. “We’ve seen a lot of changes and a lot of innovation in terms of what we do,” says Kostamo, “and now I think we’re really looking forward to having a proper space to do it in.”

The orthopedic surgeon explains that the hospital’s current operating rooms are relatively small, making it difficult for himself, nurses and anesthetists to navigate around the lights, equipment and new technology. “We do a lot of our trauma surgery with live X-rays, so we’re cramming this X-ray machine into the room and trying to work around and squeeze past the equipment,” he says, adding that he often hits his head on the OR lights in the process. The new Jim Pattison Surgery Centre will be outfitted with technology on booms; mobile attachments will allow for equipment to swing in and out of the way.

Additionally, the more spacious new surgery centre will enable more centralized care, meaning patients won’t often have to move from one room to another. Constant transportation between rooms and beds causes discomfort for patients and physicians alike (“It’s tough on our backs,” notes Kostamo), so the team is looking forward to having more space to work in. “We’re managing, but it will be nice to have these innovations that make our jobs easier and smoother,” says Kostamo. “Surgery is a game of details and precision, so to have that applied to the systems around us will be really helpful.”

Burnaby Hospital has long been a leader in local healthcare—Kostamo lists some of the hospital’s brag- worthy achievements. “We were the first in Fraser Health to do same-day surgery for total joint replacements, the first to have nurse practitioners helping with post-op care, the first to have a central intake clinic,” he says. “We’re always looking for ways to make things better.”