Thanks to the generosity of Sunshine Coast residents, the Sechelt Hospital Foundation invested over $2 million of donated funds in local health care services and facilities in 2017.
The biggest ticket item was $1,115,000 for the equipment and furnishings required for the Ambulatory Care Unit. The ACU is scheduled to open at the end of January. It will be a best in class facility and will vastly improve the experience of chemotherapy patients, haemodialysis patients, those seeking medical daycare and visiting specialists’ clinics. Expanded services will mean Sunshine Coast residents will not have to travel to the city for medical care as frequently. It will also allow staff to better service visitors through a unique design, which includes glass walls, private medical procedure rooms and shared nurses’ stations.
“The team is excited to be in an environment that centres care around the patient,” said Sechelt Hospital and Sunshine Coast director Lauren Tindall.
Sechelt Hospital Foundation chair Dave Hawkins says the community is owed a huge thank you for believing that the best medicine is local, and putting their money to work here at home.
“We’ve received generous donations from estates, community organizations, caring companies, donors who give every year, and countless people who have walked into our office in the hospital lobby to make a contribution,” Hawkins said.
The ACU project cost a total of $7 million and was primarily funded by Vancouver Coastal Health and the Sunshine Coast Regional District. It was a challenging construction project as it incorporates some of the original building structures including a dumb-waiter that was found to be integral to the building. Other surprises included the removal of large amounts of asbestos and lead paint from the 1960s-era construction and some non-reinforced walls. General contractor John Kobes of Mireau Contracting said his company is “proud to be able to hand over the keys to such an advanced medical facility, knowing how vital it is to the Sunshine Coast.”
The Sechelt Hospital Foun-dation works with Vancouver Coastal Health, local physicians and health care administrators, and the community, to identify the most pressing needs of the local health care system. Money donated to the foundation is invested and disbursed through a rigorous, transparent process to ensure the money donated by the community is used to improve health care on the Coast.
Other initiatives receiving funding from the Foundation include the new Gibsons Health Unit, due to open in early January, a comprehensive needs analysis of the Sunshine Coast’s mental health and addiction services and future requirements, and MedTalks, a community wellness engagement series addressing medical issues such as aging, mental health, and men’s health. All previous MedTalks presentations are available online at www.sechelthospitalfoundation.org/past-medtalks-recordings.
– Submitted
