New Cowichan hospital receives Indigenous name to honour land it occupies

The BC Ministry of Infrastructure announced that the new Cowichan hospital has been given an Indigenous name by the Quw’utsun Peoples. 

The Province says that the hospital will have both a Hul’q’umi’num’ and English dual name, as Hul̓q̓umín̓um̓ is the language of the Quw’utsun Peoples.

The new name will be Quw’utsun Valley Hospital, or Quw’utsun Hulitun-ew’t-hw (pronounced Cow-ut-sun Ha-lee-tun-awt-wh). 

According to the Province, “Quw’utsun” describes the act of warming one’s back from a heat source and is based on the story of a frog warming its back by the sun after a historic flood and Hulitun-ew’t-hw means “place of giving life.” 

This name was chosen for the hospital because Elders of the Cowichan Tribes wanted the name to reflect the warmth and care that hospital staff will provide to patients and each other.

The Cowichan Tribes S-ul’hween Language Committee gifted the name to the hospital through a collaborative process with the goal to improve First Nation, Métis and Inuit health-care experiences.

“Our knowledge and values are embedded in our language,” said Chief Cindy Daniels, Cowichan Tribes (Sulsulxumaat). 

“Our Elders have gifted the new hospital with an important name that offers a new way forward when it comes to our peoples’ experiences with health-care facilities. It is our hope that this dual name will not only welcome and comfort all people who seek care here, but also inspire and support the medical professionals and staff who provide that care.”

In addition to celebrating the new name for the hospital, the BC government is also celebrating the 204-bed healthcare facility being around 75% complete. 

Some improvements that the community will benefit from upon completion are 56 more beds than the current regional hospital, culturally safe spaces to support traditional healing and an emergency department that will grow from 17 to 45 spaces. 

This hospital will also be BC’s first fully electric hospital, and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% when compared to the current hospital.

The Province says that the new Quw’utsun Valley Hospital, or Quw’utsun Hulitun-ew’t-hw, will replace the Cowichan Regional General Hospital when it opens to the public in 2027.