Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) had its beginnings in the late 19th century in improvised accommodation on Chapel Street: two miners' cabins, each 15 feet by 40 feet. Between 1877 and 1881 a second building, located at the corner of Prideaux and Fitzwilliam Streets, also served as a hospital. The Nanaimo Hospital Society was incorporated in 1881. A third location was opened on Franklyn Street that year with the original miners' cabins continuing to supplement over-crowded accommodation at the other sites. In 1883, a fourth hospital was erected on Kennedy Street, serving until 1928, when a new structure was opened which, with only one major addition, served the growing community for the next 35 years. The sixth and present structure on Dufferin Crescent opened in 1963. In 1974, this facility was expanded to include the Rehabilitation Wing. In 1987, a new 150-bed Extended Care Unit, Dufferin Place Extended Care Facility, was opened adjacent to the hospital.
