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Foundation outfits new health unit in Gibsons

Audiology Booth
hospital
From left: Jane Macdonald, executive director of Sechelt Hospital Foundation; Chad Joe, Westcoast Mining; Dave Hawkins, chair of Sechelt Hospital Foundation; and Lauren Tindall, Sunshine Coast/Sechelt Hospital director in the lobby of the new Gibsons Health Unit. The new facility is set to open on Jan. 17.

When the renovations and ribbon cutting are over and the doors open on Jan. 17, children on the Sunshine Coast will be tested and diagnosed at the new Gibsons Health Unit on Gibsons Way. Although it’s called an audiology booth, the new testing facility is the size of a small bus, and it’s a breakthrough for hearing testing locally. It is hoped that this local service will save families the time and effort to go to Vancouver for testing and encourage more to come forward, in case hearing tests have been missed in the past. 

Funding for the audiology booth came from the Sechelt Hospital Foundation, with a dedicated donation from Comedy on the Coast’s sold-out stand-up comedy show in the fall. Westcoast Mining’s owner, Chad Joe, who organized and sponsored the show, said: “We are proud to support the ongoing health care needs of kids on the Coast. With the funds raised by Comedy on the Coast from ticket buyers and event donors, we will carry on the tradition of helping to get the best equipment, in this case an audiology booth, here on the Coast for our young families and next generation.” 

The Foundation invested a total of $600,000 of donated funds to the new facility for equipment and furnishings, a portion of which also came from the Dempster Foundation’s donations raised by their family’s successful golf tournaments in 2015 and 2017. 

Hospital Foundation chair Dave Hawkins said, “We are excited to help expand and refresh the facilities for Gibsons Health Unit through the generosity of our donors.” 

The new space is much more conducive to patient care, public awareness and accessibility as it is on Gibsons Way – a well travelled street, with parking in front. 

Karen Inkpen, manager of Home Health and Public Health and Prevention, said: “As we improve the facilities of care on the Sunshine Coast, the staff and I are excited to offer a much more accessible and centrally located facility dedicated to community health, home care and wellness services.” 

Replacing the old centre on South Fletcher, the new facility, located across the street from Elphinstone Secondary School, will continue to provide prenatal classes, immunizations, youth clinics and family support services. For more information about Sechelt Hospital Foundation, contact Jane Macdonald at 604-885-8637 or sh.foundation@vch.ca.

– Submitted by Jane Macdonald