In March this year, Sechelt Hospital Foundation established a COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund with donor funds to support our health-care teams on the Sunshine Coast as they prepared for and responded to the health emergency. Our $100,000 fund was immediately, and generously, matched by the Sunshine Coast Healthcare Auxiliary and more than 100 community members contributed both gifts in kind and an additional $37,000.
As of Nov. 10, all $237,000 of the COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund has been either spent or committed to the following list of items and materials requested by hospital leadership and Vancouver Coastal Health:
• Expedited orders and stock replenishment of personal protective equipment for health-care staff – N95 face masks, hand sanitizer supplies, gowns and goggles.
• Specialized equipment for all hospital rooms in Critical Care and Acute Care to promote infection control and patient safety.
• Upgrade of the ventilation and air exchange system for Sechelt Hospital’s operating rooms to reduce airborne germs.
• Specialized video laryngoscope for Surgical Services which will offer anaesthetists improved visualization and ease when intubating a patient.
• Materials for volunteers to make thousands of face masks for the community, as well as laundry bags and scrub hats for staff.
• Staff lockers and change area to ensure street clothes and outdoor contaminants do not cross over into patient care areas.
• Blood pulse oximeters for Emergency Department so all members of the ER team can immediately monitor a patient’s blood oxygen levels.
• Homecare Compassion funds to support front-line care workers in alleviating client distress as a result of the pandemic and isolation.
• Visitation tablets and personal televisions for patients in Long Term Care.
“The COVID-19 emergency support funds have allowed rapid procurement of a wide variety of critical items required to provide care and protection for staff and patients during these incredibly challenging times,” said Gerry Latham, VCH director at Sechelt Hospital.
“This fund provided us with the opportunity to be well prepared when COVID-19 appeared in the spring and continues to support unexpected needs as a deeper understanding of the virus emerges,”
With news of COVID-19’s second wave impacting our community, on Nov. 16, the board of Sechelt Hospital Foundation unanimously approved an additional $50,000 to supplement the COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund required by hospital leadership in support of quality health care at Sechelt Hospital and other Vancouver Coastal Health facilities on the Lower Sunshine Coast.
Thank you to everyone who has given their time, contacts and generous gifts to date. For those who have been asking how you can support the health-care teams and facilities on the Sunshine Coast, please consider making a contribution to Sechelt Hospital Foundation’s Annual Fund. Donations will go to the area of greatest need, including the Covid-19 Emergency Support Fund. Please direct your calls or emails to: Jane Macdonald, Executive Director, 604-885-8637 or [email protected]. To make a donation, please visit: www.SecheltHospitalFoundation.org.
Mailing Address: Sechelt Hospital Foundation PO Box 1761 Sechelt, BC V0N3A0 Charitable Registration Number: 88915-7194-RR-0001.
– Jane Macdonald, Sechelt Hospital Foundation
