New series Emergency Room: Life and Death at VGH offers first-ever look inside BC's busiest ER

Groundbreaking six-part series premieres on British Columbia's Knowledge Network Jan 21, 2014.

VANCOUVER, Jan. 8, 2014 /CNW/ - Emergency Room: Life and Death at VGH, a groundbreaking new six-part documentary series set in Vancouver General Hospital's emergency room, is set to premiere Tuesday, January 21^st at 9 pm PT on British Columbia's Knowledge Network. Episodes will be simulcast on broadcast and the series' interactive companion website at www.knowledge.ca/er.

With unprecedented access to Vancouver's busiest emergency department and the only Level 1 trauma centre in BC, Emergency Room: Life and Death at VGH is the first Canadian documentary series to take viewers behind-the-scenes of the emergency room to examine the key role it plays in our community.

"Emergency Room: Life and Death at VGH continues Knowledge Network's commitment to tell the stories that inspire conversation around important issues facing British Columbians," says Rudy Buttignol, President and CEO of Knowledge Network. "This television series is designed to challenge viewers with some of the most pressing healthcare issues of our time; to foster an informed debate on our interactive website of what kind of system we want, need and are willing to pay for."

Emergency Room: Life and Death at VGH brings us the stories British Columbians face every day - from end of life issues to serious illnesses and preventable accidents, as well as intriguing insight into the women and men who are so intimately involved in these moments of life and death. The interactive companion website at www.knowledge.ca/er provokes further engagement with challenging issues examined in the series.

Knowledge Network teamed up with Vancouver Coastal Health and BC-based Lark Productions in bringing this thought-provoking series to life. Shining the spotlight on the best-in-class emergency department staff at Vancouver General Hospital, Emergency Room: Life and Death at VGH shares the stories of the physicians, nurses, social workers, care aides and paramedics who work around the clock providing world-leading patient care.

"VGH emergency is often called BC's emergency department because we treat the most seriously ill and critically injured from around the province," says Mary Ackenhusen, Chief Operating Officer, Vancouver General Hospital. "We hope this documentary series promotes a greater understanding of the complex and difficult care our physicians, staff, and allied health professionals provide on a daily basis."

In the emergency department, pressing health and social issues become even more critical in the face of life or death situations. Whether it's the pain endured after a bone breaking fall, or the life-saving surgery after a cardiac arrest, for every heartbreaking moment, there's a story of perseverance and triumph.

"With Emergency Room: Life and Death at VGH, our talented team captured authentic and intimate life and death moments, giving viewers a dramatic inside look at what goes on in the ER," says Louise Clark, founder and president, Lark Productions. "We are indebted to the courageous patients, families and friends who were willing to share their stories with the public and to the Knowledge Network for this unique documentary opportunity."

About Knowledge Network
A viewer-supported public broadcaster, British Columbia's Knowledge Network offers commercial-free creative documentaries, arts and culture, drama and children's programs from British Columbia, Canada and around the world. Knowledge Network plays a vital role in supporting the independent production community in BC through the commissioning of broadcast and digital interactive content.

About VCH
VCH is responsible for the delivery of $3 billion in community, hospital and residential care to more than one million people in communities including Richmond, Vancouver, the North Shore, Sunshine Coast, Sea to Sky corridor, Powell River, Bella Bella and Bella Coola.

About Lark Productions
Based in Vancouver, Lark Productions is a Canadian company in business to give exceptional homegrown talent a voice by developing and producing quality programming that has the potential to partner and travel internationally.

For more information on Emergency Room: Life and Death at VGH, please visit www.knowledge.ca/er.

SOURCE: Knowledge Network

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