Interior Health sees birthrate baby bump

March 22, 2022

Last year, Interior Health welcomed 6,136 newborns in our hospitals, an increase of 489 births or a nine per cent increase over 2020.

“Interior Health is happily welcoming our tiniest patients to the world as communities grow throughout the region,” said Interior Health president and CEO, Susan Brown. “I would like to congratulate all of the families who welcomed newborns last year and thank our dedicated maternity teams for ensuring the highest quality of care for these little ones and their families.”

Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail saw the largest percentage increase with a 30 per cent increase in births compared to 2020. Kelowna General Hospital saw the largest increase in births with 197 more babies being born in 2021 compared to the previous year.

In 2021, Interior Health saw an average of 511 births per month, while in 2020, the average was 471 births per month.

IH Hospital

2020

2021

# Change

% Change

Cariboo Memorial Hospital

299

296

-3

-1%

Creston Valley Hospital

53

50

-3

-6%

East Kootenay Regional Hospital

391

409

18

5%

Elk Valley Hospital

117

119

2

2%

Golden & District Hospital

58

58

0

0%

Invermere & District Hospital

13

15

2

15%

Kelowna General Hospital

1,611

1,808

197

12%

Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital

182

236

54

30%

Kootenay Lake Hospital

239

254

15

6%

Penticton Regional Hospital

465

570

105

23%

Queen Victoria Hospital

77

82

5

6%

Royal Inland Hospital

1,186

1,228

42

4%

Shuswap Lake General Hospital

172

174

2

1%

Vernon Jubilee Hospital

771

827

56

7%

Other IH Hospitals*

13

10

-3

-23%

Total Hospital Births

5,647

6,136

489

9%

* Other hospitals include 100 Mile House District Hospital, Boundary Hospital, Lillooet Hospital, Nicola Valley Hospital, and South Okanagan General Hospital.

For a list of the number of births by community, including home births, see information available from Vital Stats: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/life-events/statistics-reports/births.

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