In 1922, a mother asking for help in the treatment of her child made an appeal to the Women's Institutes of British Columbia. Her child was suffering tubercular disease of the spine. This appeal spurred the Women's Institutes of BC into raising funds to build a children's hospital in Vancouver. In 1925, the proposal was brought forward that a Solarium for the prolonged treatment of "delicate and crippled children" be built on Vancouver Island. 1

Young patients and medical staff at the original
Queen Alexandra Solarium in Mill Bay, BC (circa 1929)

In 1926, the Queen Alexandra Solarium was built at Mill Bay on Vancouver Island. In the early years of the Solarium, the focus was on treating diseases such as polio and tuberculosis. The Solarium used innovative methods in the prevention of illness and treated certain diseases through the scientific use of the sun's rays, combined with open air and sun bathing.

The history of the QA includes a major move in 1958 to its current location in Victoria on Arbutus Road, and a name change to the Queen Alexandra Hospital for Crippled Children. Brentwood College purchased the site in Mill Bay. With the move came an expansion of services and in 1968, the Cerebral Palsy Clinic moved onto the hospital grounds and became the G.R. Pearkes Centre for Children. In 1982, Anscomb House was opened for patients with muscular dystrophy. 1986 brought official amalgamation of the G.R. Pearkes Centre and the Queen Alexandra Hospital and led to the establishment of the Arbutus Society for Children. A Rehabilitation Engineering Centre, later renamed the Fisher Building, was opened on the QA site in 1986. This facility houses wheelchair seating, orthotics and prosthetics services, as well as a biomedical research component. Ledger House, a child and adolescent psychiatric facility, was opened on the grounds in 1987. In 1993, the Arbutus Society for Children was renamed the Queen Alexandra Foundation for Children and the Queen Alexandra Hospital was renamed the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children's Health. The QA Foundation owns the land at 2400 Arbutus Road and leases it to the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) for $1 per year so that VIHA can provide critical services to children and youth.

In 2000, the Queen Alexandra Foundation funded the renovation of the VIHA/Queen Alexandra Foundation Children's Clinic area. This renovated space is the home of the following clinics: Swallowing Disorders, Neuromuscular, Pediatric Amputee, Cleft Lip/Palate, Visually Impaired, Neuropsychology, Pediatric Orthopedics and Spina Bifida. The Foundation is excited about partnering with child and youth agencies in the Western Communities in the development of two new Child, Youth and Family Centres in Sooke and the West Shore (Colwood), and a renovation in Port Renfrew. The Sooke Centre was opened in the Summer of 2004, and the West Shore Centre was opened in the fall of 2005.

Today, the Queen Alexandra Foundation continues to support the QA tradition of providing programs, services and equipment that address the physical, emotional, behavioural and intellectual needs of Vancouver Island's children and youth. By funding programs, services and equipment both at the QA Centre and in various community agencies, the Foundation plays a leading role in enhancing the health of our young people.

1 Annual Report of the Queen Alexandra Solarium for Crippled Children - 1926