When Dr. Courtney Young arrived at Surrey Memorial Hospital five years ago, one thing was immediately clear: for a site of this size, serving one of the fastest-growing populations in the province, not having cardiac catheterization labs simply didn’t match the needs of the region.
“We care for an incredibly high volume of patients with heart disease,” she explains. “At sites this busy, cath labs aren’t optional. They’re essential for timely, proper patient care.”
Patients across Surrey and the South Fraser experiencing heart attacks or urgent cardiac issues were routinely transported to Vancouver or New Westminster for procedures that could restore blood flow, save hearts and lives. And when every minute counts, that extra distance matters.
So, when Dr. Young stepped into the role of local Department Head of Cardiology nearly three years ago, she didn’t just inherit the discussion. She ignited the momentum.
Rallying, planning, and leading forward
For years, many clinicians and leaders had been advocating for cardiac catheterization labs in Surrey. Pushing, planning and making the case before the current momentum. Dr. Young stepped into this ongoing effort with deep respect for the groundwork already laid down. By helping coordinate the pieces, strengthen the strategy and bring partners together, she helped move long-standing advocacy toward a shared turning point.
“We formed a small working group to develop the case,” she recalls. “We wrote letters. We engaged with our MLAs and Fraser Health leadership. We showed how Surrey was falling behind the level of care the city deserved.”
But advocating was only the beginning. What truly advanced progress was data, planning, and collaboration.
Dr. Young led the development of a business plan, that demonstrated not just the need, but the capacity, resources and operational model to deliver high-quality care right here at Surrey Memorial Hospital.
That work led to a pivotal call requesting a meeting the next day with the Minister of Health.
“By the next morning, I was presenting the full plan,” she says. “It was a brief window, but the work was done. We were ready.”
Within weeks, discussions solidified.
And by June 2023, the announcement was made: cardiac catheterization labs were coming to Surrey.
“It moved quickly publicly,” she notes, “but only because so much groundwork, collaboration and commitment were already there.”
Why Surrey? Why this work?
Dr. Young’s motivation for cardiology runs deep. Her father was born with a congenital heart condition and underwent open-heart surgery in his 50s. Growing up, her best friend’s father, an innovator in the field of cardiology, lived just across the alley. Cardiology eventually became the intersection of her personal history and professional passion.
But Surrey is where it all aligned.
“I stayed because of the people,” she says. “The patients, physicians, the nurses. This is a team that cares deeply for one another and for the community. It feels like the best parts of working in a small community hospital, but in a bustling city with a large diverse patient population.”
Surrey Memorial Hospital’s culture of commitment, collaboration, and compassion fuels her work and shapes her vision for what comes next.
A new era of cardiac care
With the cath labs now underway and a growing team of interventional cardiologists arriving from across Canada and beyond, Dr. Young is focused on ensuring the program begins with excellence from day one.
“The opportunity to build something that delivers world-class care, right here, close to home is extraordinary,” she says. “This is about equitable care. No one should have to leave their city to receive best-in-class cardiac treatment.”
Her goal is clear: To build a program that excels across all clinical metrics, grounded in quality, equity and meaningful, measurable patient outcomes.
From vision to reality
For Dr. Young, seeing the cath lab program take shape is personal.
“It feels fantastic,” she says. “It’s the culmination of years of work. My masters in healthcare quality, my MBA in strategic management and my commitment to designing care that is equitable from the ground up. This is the work I came here to do.”
And now, it’s happening.
Surrey’s future in cardiac care is here because the community, and the people who serve it, refused to settle for anything less.
Want to read more about the opening of the cardiac cath labs in Surrey? Click here.
