SUMMER 2017
Safely making the most out of summer in BC
photo: david buzzard
page 6
E-tools
Making it easier to stay healthy page 12
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contents 6 on the cover 10 12 15 16 18 20 21 22 Louise MacDougall and her sons, Cody and Miller, photographed at Meadow Park, Whistler BC, Canada. photo: david buzzard
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summer 2017
summer safety Beating the heat, along with Lyme disease, heatstroke and sports injury Alison Taylor dine + dash A simple dietary solution to hypertension e-tools Making it easier to stay healthy
elizabeth james
Ian Jacques
get out get active It's a jam-packed action-filled summer line up in the region Change in the weather Climate change making respiratory disease more common vancouver coastal health TEC4home Moving forward in clinical trials
vancouver coastal health
Marina Rockey
contributing writers
Alison Taylor, Elizabeth James, Ian Jacques, Vancouver Coastal Health
For advertising inquiries, contact Michelle Bhatti at mbhatti@vancourier.com
volume 3, number 2, summer 2017
Pemberton district health care foundation Small health care foundation takes a big picture view alison taylor Powell river hospital foundation A foundation with a big heart Ian Jacques Surrey hospital Outpatient foundation Champions for care Ian Jacques
Published by glacier media. Copyright ©2017. All rights reserved. Reproduction of articles permitted with credit. Advertisements in this magazine are coordinated by Glacier Media. Glacier Media does not endorse products or services. Any errors, omissions or opinions found in this magazine should not be attributed to the publisher. The authors, the publisher and the collaborating organizations will not assume any responsibility for commercial loss due to business decisions made based on the information contained in this magazine. Speak with your doctor before acting on any health information contained in this magazine. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted without crediting Glacier Media. Printed in Canada. Please recycle.
summer 2017
3
Tim Shoults Editor, Healthier You
where can you find healthier you? In doctors’ offices, walk-in clinics, pharmacies and other community settings, we will be waiting there, too – keeping you company, and sharing stories and insight into healthrelated issues that matter to you.
The heat is on! It wasn’t that long ago that we were complaining about “June-uary” and wondering if summer was ever going to come to the Lower Mainland, was it? Now it’s here – in spades. As we get out and enjoy all the sunshine, this edition of Healthier You starts with a focus on helping keep you safe and healthy under the sun. Lyme disease, heatstroke and high-impact sports can all turn a beautiful summer’s day into a nightmare in short order. While some of the risks are small, such as Lyme Disease – less than one case in 100,000 – the consequences can be serious, and when prevention is as simple as wearing long clothes when hiking in tick-friendly areas and checking for ticks after spending time outside, it only makes sense. Heat-related illnesses are also a matter of awareness and simple prevention: seek shade, drink plenty of water and take breaks out of the heat. Our series on the hardworking hospital and health care foundations that support our facilities continues with profiles of the Powell River Hospital
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Foundation, the Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation and the Pemberton Health Care Foundation. As ever, I’m always impressed by the dedicated community volunteers who give of their time, talents and treasure to ensure our health care facilities and the life-saving equipment within them are kept up to date. We also take a look at the issue of hypertension and how diet can be used to help ease this potentially deadly syndrome. With nearly 20 per cent of Canadians over age 12 – more than 5 million people – suffering from diagnosed hypertension, and potential consequences including heart attacks, stroke and kidney damage, it’s a significant problem. Instead of diagnosing millions of prescriptions and spending billions of dollars on anti-hypertension medication every year, as we currently do, it would be a tremendous improvement for all concerned if eating habits replaced medication. Whatever shape your summer takes – an adventure across our beautiful province or across the world, or just staycationing – make sure it’s a safe and happy time.
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Summer Lyme disease, heatstroke, high impact sports all part of summer on the coast and mountains Alison Taylor contributing writer
Eight-year-old Miller MacDougall was on a class field trip to a Pemberton farm in June when he felt something uncomfortable on his back. His mom, a class chaperone on the trip, lifted his shirt and discovered a small tick, burrowing into his skin — a relatively commonplace occurrence in rural Pemberton but worrisome nonetheless. Could this tick have Lyme Disease, thought Louise MacDougall as she waited for the farmer to finish her talk on bees. About an hour later, the farmer took Miller inside, rubbed oil over the insect and gently twisted it out with tweezers. The tick was then placed, dead but intact, into a Ziploc bag, and sent off to the BC Centre of Disease Control for testing. One week later, after watching her son for the often telltale bull’s eye mark and rash at the bite spot, MacDougall got the call to say that the test was negative for Lyme Disease. “I wanted to get it tested for peace of mind,” said MacDougall. “He was playing with the dogs and I think he might have got it from the dogs.” Tough low, the risk of Lyme Disease and other hazards are part and parcel of enjoying the outdoors in BC in the summertime. The key is to be aware of the risks and manage them appropriately. Louise MacDougall and her son Miller, photographed at Meadow Park, Whistler BC, Canada. Photo: David Buzzard 6
summer 2017
safety
“The summer is a time, particularly in the Sea to Sky, where people are very physically active, which is great,” said the region’s medical health officer Dr. Mark Lysyshyn. “We love that people come to the Sea to Sky area, and live in the Sea to Sky area, to be physically active. But when you’re doing that make sure you’re taking the proper precautions.”
Lyme Disease Though the risk of getting Lyme Disease in BC is low (less than 0.5 cases per 100,000 and less than 1 per cent tick infection rate according to 2013 stats), one of the prime areas with suitable ecological conditions for the Lyme Disease organism to be present is on the south coast and southern BC. Lyme Disease (Borrelia burgdorferi infection) is the most common tick-borne disease in North America. Usually the tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours before the bacteria can spread to humans. Whistler resident Sarah Morphy knows all too well... though she never actually saw the tick that gave her Lyme Disease. In July 2015 Morphy noticed a big bruise on her leg with a bite in the middle of it. She had no recollection of banging her leg. “I would have remembered getting a bruise like that,” she said. By mid-August she began getting various symptoms — vertigo for 10 days, a sore neck for three or four days, an inflamed swollen knee for another few days — but it took her another month to put it all together. She took the Horowitz Lyme-MSIDS Questionnaire, which made her suspect even further that she had contracted Lyme Disease somewhere in Whistler, Pemberton or Anderson Lake that summer. Blood tests were sent overseas and confirmed her fears. continued on page 8
w w w. b h f o u n d a t i o n . c a
continued from page 7
The doctor put her on antibiotics immediately and she began a course of action to treat her other symptoms, some of which persist today. “You’re just always managing and controlling it,” said Morphy. “I don’t think it ever truly goes away.”
Sarah Morphy in the forest behind her Whistler home. Photos: david buzzard
Dr. Lysyshyn said the disease is considered rare, with only one confirmed case in the region in 2015. The data for 2016 is unavailable. And while there may be people who have the disease unknowingly, the risk for getting Lyme Disease from a tick bite is still quite rare with less than 1 per cent of ticks tested coming back positive for the disease.
“Certainly we think the benefits of physical activity and being outside in nature vastly far outweigh the risk of Lyme Disease,” he said. “Don’t let Lyme Disease stop you.”
Dealing with the heat The same is true for the heat though there are increasing numbers of people suffering from heat-related illnesses. “As we have global warming we’re having more and more hot days in the region and also in BC. So heat is becoming a more significant issue,” said Lysyshyn.
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This is particularly true during the first burst of summer when people are exposed to the heat but not yet used to it. That’s when the hospitals and clinics experience a spike in visits related to the heat, even if patients that heat is the cause of their symptoms. “Some people will present with heatstroke, acute problems related to the heat, but other people will present other illnesses that are just being triggered by the stress on their body due to the heat but they’ll never actually know that it had anything to do with the heat,” he said. It’s particularly true as more and more people head outdoors for physical pursuits — hiking, biking, swimming. With that kind of activity comes associated risks. As with Lyme Disease, the key is awareness and prevention to playing safe in the summer: find shade, find water, wear appropriate safety equipment for sports, find ways to cool down even if it means going to a public building with air conditioning. “The summer is a time, particularly in the Sea to Sky, where people are very physically active, which is great,” said Lysyshyn. “We love that people come to the Sea to Sky area, and live in the Sea to Sky area, to be physically active. But when you’re doing that make sure you’re taking the proper precautions.”
Taking precautions As Miller MacDougall heads off to overnight camp for a week this summer, mom Louise has briefed him on the importance of checking for ticks after a day playing outside. If you suspect you’ve contracted the disease, Morphy suggests finding a Lyme-literate doctor. “I would say the best advice is prevention,” she added, wearing long clothes and being aware of tall grasses. “In my case, I never saw the tick.” Miller MacDougall
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Dinedash A simple dietary solution to hypertension Elizabeth James | Contributing Writer
The beauty of DASH – Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension – is its simplicity. First devised by the US. National Institutes of Health in the early 1990s, the eating plan not only aligns with the Canada Food Guide, it suggests easy menus that can help prevent or reverse hypertension. dashdiet.org
stroke, kidney damage, and other threatening illnesses.
DASH can also do the same for obesity which, along with high salt/low potassium intake, is one of the main triggers for hypertension.
Hypertension has been diagnosed in 17.7 per cent of Canadians aged 12 and over (5.3 million people). Just as concerning is that an equal number of people may have undiagnosed high blood-pressure.
What is hypertension? HealthLinkBC, healthlinkbc.ca, says blood pressure is a measure of how hard your blood is pushing against your artery walls as it circulates throughout your body. When the pressure is routinely too high, it will harden your blood vessels and lead to heart attacks,
A person is hypertensive when their blood-pressure reading is equal to or exceeds 140/90. Depending on age and/or the presence of other health conditions like diabetes, an optimal reading is around 120/80.
Health Canada reports that over four million prescriptions for anti-hypertension medication are written every month. In 2003, over $2.3 billion was spent on physician, medication and lab costs. phac-aspc.gc.ca That’s the bad news you needed to hear in order to understand why the DASH concept is so critical to a healthy, happy future. Efforts we make to improve our own lifestyles not only benefit us and our families, they make a huge contribution to society in general. The good news is British Columbians have already made a start. In 2016, B.C. reported a lower incidence at 13.14 per cent of the 4.7 million provincial population.
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What does DASH cost and where do we take it from here? Embracing a DASH lifestyle costs way less than people already spend on groceries, eating fast foods and on a lifetime of pills. In fact, with the recent announcement that meat prices are increasing, eating smaller portions of meat along with a wider variety of fruit and vegetables could be cheaper in the long run. Where we take DASH from here largely depends on the lives each one of us must live. The approach for a young person in school or university will be different from that of a family with kids, or for seniors living alone. DASH is not designed as a miracle cure for hypertension nor for the overweight problems that took years to accumulate. Fifty per cent of magazines on local shelves are testament to the fact that fast-fix “Lose 20 lbs. in six weeks!” diets have little lasting effect. Moreover, some of those fads leave you so deficient in essential nutrients, they set you up for more health problems than you already have. Instead, DASH recommends changing your meal-plans slowly to develop an enjoyable, nutritious lifestyle for the long-term.
One major barrier to overcome is that trying to change your exercise and eating habits by yourself is tough, so it’s important to bring your doctor, family and friends on board. Try walking the local park with a doggy friend. If you enjoy cooking, why not form neighbourhood and school-based DASH clubs that use the program’s basics to swap recipes and increase exercise? Ask your supermarket or meal caterer to emphasize DASH-style ingredients. By helping one another to improve our lifestyles, we can cut hypertension and obesity numbers in half and live healthier, happier lives. So how about it? Would you rather face a lifetime of medications or, as Vancouver Coastal Health recommends, DASH away from hypertension?
www.vch.ca hypertensiontalk.com thelancet.com nutritionj.biomedcentral.com
make it easier to stay healthy Ian Jacques Contributing Writer
We all lead busy lives. With our jobs, families, and extracurricular activities, it can be hard to eat healthy and exercise regularly, but the Heart and Stroke Foundation has a number of E-tools that will help Canadians from all walks of life find a balance between a busy life and a healthy life. A free smartphone app for families was launched earlier this year at Halifax’s Emera Oval.
Froogie Froogie is a family-focused app that aims to engage children and parents and help them make healthy food choices. Froogie is the result of several years of research led by HPI’s Dr. Sara Kirk and Dr. Daniel Rainham. Their project, supported by the Canadian Institute of Health Research and Heart & Stroke, has been exploring how the built environment, diet and physical activity behaviours impact youth health. Through this research project, Kirk and Rainham and their team heard from parents and youth that they are overscheduled in ways that limit options for healthy meal preparation.
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Healthy eating is often sacrificed due to scheduling of leisure-time physical activities. “Healthy eating and active living are two of the most important things we can do to improve general health and wellbeing,” adds Kirk. “Although there are other things we can do to be healthy, like cutting down on processed foods and sugary drinks and snacks, eating more fruits and veggies is an easy change we can make for a big impact.” Informed by research, this new, app has been carefully crafted to provide a fun and interactive experience for children and families to eat healthily together. A combination of the words “fruits” and “veggies,” Froogie offers tips and reminders to promote daily fruit and veggie intake to help meet age-appropriate goals. Up to nine animated Froogie characters can be earned over time and help encourage families to live life on the veg! To learn more or download Froogie, visit froogieapp.com.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation has a number of other E-tools on its website at heartandstroke.ca. Take a risk assessment and take the first step in learning ways to improve your heart health.
Do you know your risk? Don’t let disease rob you of healthy years. You can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. By going to this link, ehealth.heartandstroke.ca, you can take a questionnaire that will help you assess your risks, set goals to reduce your risks and Heart and Stroke will be there to support you every step of the way.
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get out get active It’s a jam-packed action-filled summer line up in the region.
july
august
July 17 Fort Langley Half Marathon & 5K, Fort Langley The half marathon race course starts and finishes at the Fort in Fort Langley. After a short tour through the historic town site, it heads out into the surrounding countryside and rolling hills. The 5 km route will be through the quiet streets of historic Fort Langley with some gentle ups & downs. After the race, stick around for a drink and refreshments. See more at penrun.ca.
August 3–6 Wanderlust Whistler celebrates all things yoga at this annual festival in the mountains.
July 23 Jog for the Bog Trail Run, Delta Like running, breakfast and entertainment? Want to save the Earth? Come for the Run, Stay for the Fun! Jog for the Bog is your day to get fit and help save peatlands at the same time! You, your family, and friends get to go on a scenic 5K walk/run or a 10K run around the Delta Nature Reserve. See more at burnsbog.org July 30 Ironman and Ironman 70.3 Where the toughest competitors gather in Whistler for an epic swim, bike, run battle. This is a competition where even cheering from the Whistler sidelines is sport! Don’t forget your cowbell.
August 11–13 Fat Dog 120 Trail Race, Manning Park Fat Dog is an ultra race that has been listed as one of the top nine toughest ultras by Outside Online. There are three different start points and routes, with the toughest (the 48-hour 120 mile) having an elevation gain just under that of Everest. Definitely not for beginners, the routes feature stunning views through three provincial parks. See more at mountainmadness.ca August 11–20 Crankworx A 10-day festival celebrating mountain biking at the Mecca of the sport — Whistler. If you weren’t interested in mountain biking before Crankworx, you will be by the time this festival rolls out of town. Fourteen years and going strong with a something for everyone — ride, cheer, compete, have fun. August 20 Slow Food Cycle Take Pemberton and all it has to offer at a different place. This Slow Food Cycle winds along the roads
of the bucolic Pemberton valley. Sample farmers’ fare and have fun riding your bike.
Runners young and old get fit and help a fantastic local organization at the 2016 Jog for the Bog Trail Run. This year’s event is set for July 23 in Delta and the Delta Nature Reserve.
August 27 Photo: Gord Goble/ Delta Optimist MEC Lower Mainland Trail Race Series, Burnaby This is the fifth race in the MEC Lower Mainland Trail Race Series. This race is aimed at all those who want to seek out a fun new running location, getting on the trails and who are all about getting active and staying fit. For only $15 you can choose between a 5K or 10K race in Burnaby's Central Park. See more at events.mec.ca.
september September 16 Eastside 10K A 10 km run through Vancouver’s historic eastside — Gastown, Chinatown and East Vancouver. This run raises money for the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, and more. summer 2017
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Change in the Climate change making respiratory disease more common Courtesy Vancouver Coastal Health
weather
Air pollution is the third most important risk factor for global mortality. "It's a massive problem," says Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute scientist Dr. Chris Carlsten.
Dr. Carlsten has just completed a review of the latest research linking air pollution from traffic to allergic respiratory disease. The review found allergic disease is on the rise in many regions of the world, particularly in Asia, where traffic pollution is most severe. And the new reality of climate change is making things worse. "Climate change is so important to factor in. It increases the intensity of both particulate matter in traffic pollution and of allergen concentrations. Our own research here in Vancouver highlights how significant these two factors are for triggering and worsening allergic respiratory disease." The link between warmer temperatures & respiratory issues When temperatures increase, particularly in heat waves, respiratory deaths increase. Research shows that warmer temperatures and more sunshine also boost harmful ozone levels in traffic pollution. Increased heat also leads to drier conditions which can lead to wildfires, further exacerbating poor air quality conditions. This was the case in Vancouver during the summer of 2015 when an air quality advisory was issued recommending that people with chronic medical conditions remain inside. Climate change also increases airborne allergens; warmer temperatures boost pollen production and weeds— which produce more allergen pollen—can outperform other plants in hotter weather. Policy and legislation is needed The review shows that when clean air legislation is enacted, it prevents premature deaths from respiratory disease. In many parts of the world 16
summer 2017
however, this legislation isn't in place yet. Dr. Carlsten is hopeful things will improve, but believes instances of allergic disease will worsen first. "I'm actually encouraged by how seriously countries like China are taking this. Unfortunately, the air pollution levels right now will very likely result in an epidemic of disease down the road. Asthma rates are increasing already because that disease develops more quickly but diseases like lung cancer will be slower to develop."
Dr. Carlsten says it's important to keep doing research to make a strong argument for cleaner air policy. "This is something I struggle with every day. My day-to-day professional focus is asking: So what can we do? I have to come back to the power of science to objectively show, to a range of constituents, that there are real biological changes we know will get worse with climate change. We have to have current and compelling data to so."
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OSTEOARTHRITIS? The OASIS program can help you take control of your osteoarthritis. The OASIS program offers you: Pollution causing genetic change Some of that current and compelling data is at the genetic level. In his own lab, Dr. Carlsten and his team have found what are called epigenetic changes occurring when diesel exhaust is inhaled. "Our research suggests that traffic-related air pollution impairs the ability of our genes to respond adequately to oxidative stress. The diesel particulates are acting like a dimmer switch on a system that should be brighter. So our genes appear to be prevented from producing the proteins that can protect us from air pollution damage." Dr. Carlsten says when the diesel particulate inhalation is combined with allergen inhalation, the "dimming effect" on gene expression is much more pronounced. "This genetic change is observed in a very short and reversible test in our lab. Out in the real world, especially in a warmer climate, the exposure can be more severe. This epigenetic changes to our systems could be at least partially responsible for increasing asthma and respiratory disease rates globally."
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moves forward to clinical trials Courtesy Vancouver Coastal Health
When Jane Grafton struggled to breathe after taking a few steps, she knew something was terribly wrong. The South Surrey resident was admitted to hospital in March and diagnosed with cardiac dysrhythmia, a life threatening condition. “The severity of my heart failure finally hit home,” says Jane. Jane’s care didn’t end when she was discharged from hospital. She is one of 40 B.C. patients with heart failure currently enrolled in TEC4Home, an innovative four-year study that aims to improve patient care and reduce unnecessary emergency department visits. TEC4Home will soon begin clinic trials involving up to 900 patients in several health authorities including Vancouver Coastal Health, Interior Health and Fraser Health.
Patients like Jane are set up with a home telemonitoring system provided by Telus Health that collects biometric measurements. The patients take their own blood pressure, weight and oxygen saturation on a daily basis and answer questions about potential symptoms. The information is assessed remotely by TEC4Home nurses. “I review medications, symptoms, liaise with family doctors, cardiologists, nurse practitioners, and other health professionals to better manage the patient’s care,” says Dianne Ross, Home Health Monitor Nurse, Vancouver Coastal Health. “By teaching people to recognize their symptoms early and report early, we can be proactive, rather than reactive.”
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Chronic heart failure is the third leading cause of hospital stays in Vancouver Coastal Health. “We know that one in four patients with heart failure will be readmitted to hospital within one month of discharge,” says Dr. Kendall Ho, principal investigator TEC4Home and VCH and UBC Emergency Medicine physician. “By engaging patients to take care of themselves the best they can with great support from their monitoring nurses and family doctors, we can achieve more personalized health services, better outcomes, and reduce the need for unexpected emergency department or hospital visits.” TEC4Home is a partnership between Vancouver Coastal Health, UBC Faculty of Medicine, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, the BC Ministry of Health, Telus Health, Providence Health, Cardiac Services BC, Vancouver Division of Family Practice, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. It is supported by the Pacific Health Innovation eXchange (PHIX), which aims to accelerate research to improve patient care.
“TEC4Home is an example of how collaboration across the research network can result in innovative products and services that better serve our patients now and into the future,” says Mary Ackenhusen, President and CEO Vancouver Coastal Health. “It gives us just a glimpse of what is possible and how technology can help meet the needs of patients without them having to leave their own home.” Jane Grafton is a firm believer in TEC4Home. “It put me at ease knowing that my monitoring nurse was liaising with a cardiologist and my doctor to ensure I was well taken care of,” says Jane. “Previously, part of my problem in staying out of hospital was that I didn't have a good and constant monitoring system, but the new program took care of that.” Vancouver Coastal Health is responsible for the delivery of $3.3 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.
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pEMBERTON DISTRICT HEALTH CARE foundation Small health care foundation takes a big picture view Improving patient care for more than 20 years Alison Taylor Contributing Writer
The Pemberton and District Health Care Foundation may be focused on improving health care in the small village at the north end of the Sea to Sky corridor. But when it comes to patient care, it has a big picture outlook.
“(This hospice project) makes it easier for families to visit and, quite often easier for the patient when they know they’re closer to home.” Improving patient care is what the foundation is all about. For more than 20 years, it has been augmenting health care in the area. In recent years, the foundation funded a new portable ultrasound machine for the small Pemberton health centre. It is now considering a new GlideScope for the centre, which will help facilitate quick placement of an endotracheal tube, thereby reducing patient trauma. The foundation’s board carefully weighs how it spends its money.
Rick King, chair of the Pemberton and District Healthcare Foundation, photographed in front of the Pemberton Medical Clinic Emergency Room. Photo: David Buzzard
Just recently, the foundation’s seven-member board was asked to consider funding four new hospice beds for palliative care in Squamish.
And that’s just what it’s going to do, with a view to funnelling this year’s fundraising efforts to the Squamish project. The foundation typically raises about $20,000 to $30,000 every year primarily through a golf tournament fundraiser. “Although we focus on Pemberton, we do help out and collaborate with the other health foundations in the corridor,” said Rick King, chair of the board of the Pemberton foundation.
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King, who has had a 33-year career in the BC Ambulance Service, knows a thing or two about the health needs in the Sea to Sky corridor and in Pemberton in particular. He knows about the growing elderly population in Pemberton and the ongoing issues around drugs and alcohol as well as the trauma that comes into the centre from the outdoor high-intensity sports. He also knows there are no hospice beds in the Sea to Sky corridor, another reason for the foundation to commit some funds to the $1.74 million hospice project in Squamish. The Sea to Sky Community Hospice will be located between Hilltop House and Squamish General Hospital, open to all corridor residents. The provincial government has committed $400,000 to the project, leaving the Squamish Hospice Society with $1.34 to raise. “Maybe in the future we could see one in each community (in the Sea to Sky corridor),” mused King. For more information or to donate to the foundation, go to www.pembertonhealthcarefoundation.org.
powell river hospital foundation A foundation with a big heart Ian Jacques Contributing Writer
They may be small, but the members of the Powell River Hospital Foundation have a big dedication to the improvement of patient care in the Powell River General Hospital. Members of this society include business people, professionals and retirees, all concerned with the quality of health and life in our community. The Foundation’s purpose is to raise funds for development, equipment, education and research for the Powell River General Hospital. The Foundation’s members does this by organizing fundraising projects, by encouraging individual and group donations, by careful management of its endowment fund and by encouraging bequests. “We focus on equipment that will enable patients to stay in town for procedures, but are not limited to that. Being an isolated community necessitates this focus,” said Foundation vice president Rod Tysdal. “We exist to be a focus for people who want to contribute to health care in our community. Besides being a contact for potential contributors, we also have historically held fundraising events that highlight potential projects and educate the community of the need for specific equipment. We also exist to demonstrate to the hospital and local doctors that the community is interested in supporting medical care in our community.” Over the years, the Foundation has raised thousands of dollars in the Powell River community to help pay for vital equipment at the hospital. “We are in consultation with hospital administration regarding our next major project,” added CAT Scan Tysdal. “There has recently been major changes in the staffing of our local and regional hospital administration who are assessing the direction of potential major projects and until this is sorted out, we are only buying smaller equipment identified as necessary.” The latest major purchase that demonstrates their focus was a state-of-the-art ultrasound imaging equipment
that enabled more imaging capability than previously existed.
Echo-ultrasound Unit: for regular imaging procedures. It also has the added capacity of viewing the heart while it is working and recording the images on video. Cost: $200,000.
“This reduced the need to leave town for more advanced imaging services,” he added. “Also, it provided a second imaging Photos submitted machine so that wait times could be reduced. We worked closely with hospital staff and agreed to purchase this second machine if they would hire an additional imaging technician. Both parties lived up to their side of the bargain, thus increasing the capacity of the imaging department in terms of numbers and capabilities.” There are many ways in which folks in Powell River and its surrounding communities can help the Foundation.
You may make a donation by dropping it in one of the wishing wells in the hospital lobby; via the Internet by visiting www.prhospitalfoundation.com and pushing the “Donate” button or by mail to: Powell River Hospital Foundation, 4000 Joyce Avenue, Powell River, B.C. V8A-5R3. “People can help by donating and by encouraging others to donate by emphasizing how much good can be done through local support,” said Tysdal. “Historically, when major events were organized we had many volunteers help us conduct the events. And lastly, of course people that are interested can volunteer to join the Foundation.” summer 2017
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surrey hospital outpatient centre foundation Champions for care Ian Jacques Contributing Writer
Their website address sums up their goals and mission very well —championsforcare.com. Surrey Hospital & Outpatient Centre Foundation (formerly Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation) raises funds for Surrey Memorial Hospital and the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre. The Foundation champions exceptional care for patients and families living south of the Fraser by raising funds to improve health care in the community. Since its inception 25 years ago, the Foundation has worked with the community to contribute more than $100 million in new services and facilities for the areas’ rapidly growing population.
The new 10-bed Cloverdale Paint Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Stabilization Unit at Surrey Memorial Hospital is now open to serve young people from across the Fraser Valley who are in mental health crisis and in need of urgent hospital care. Photo submitted
Health care in Surrey has changed. This community is now home to many specialized programs to provide care closer to home for newborns, children, adults and seniors from across Fraser Health.
Surrey Memorial Hospital (SMH) is a recently transformed acute care hospital, and the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre is a state-of-theart facility for clinic visits, diagnostic tests and day surgeries. Together, they form B.C.’s largest health care campus outside of Vancouver, and B.C.’s newest teaching centre. “SMH exists because members of our community worked hard — for more than 20 years — to convince 22
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the government of the day that Surrey needed a hospital,” said Foundation president and CEO Jane Adams. “They [government] believed, as do we, that our residents should not have to leave Surrey to receive life-saving care. Until SMH was built, Surrey residents had to cross the river to receive care at Royal Columbian. The community raised 50 per cent of the funds necessary to build the original 102-bed hospital. The community of Surrey has campaigned for and contributed to every phase of the hospital’s growth since its inception.” Adams said 20 years ago the community helped build the hospitals’ Children’s Health Centre and Surgical Centre. “They [community donors] contributed the initial $10 million. Since that time we have attracted some of Canada’s best and brightest surgeons,” said Adams. “We have birthed more than 50,000 children and treated tens of thousands of children for conditions ranging from cancer to asthma. It is now time to renew our Surgical and Children’s Centre to prepare for the next two decades. Our current focus is investment in surgical innovation and recruiting and retaining the best specialists for our residents.” Adams offers thanks to the Surrey community for the success of their most recent campaign to build the 10-bed Cloverdale Paint, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Short Stay Unit at Surrey Memorial Hospital. It is Canada’s most progressive unit for children ages six to 17 in acute mental distress. “The community’s $2 million support enabled us to create and staff a therapeutic environment specifically with the needs of children and teens in mind,” she said. “There is nothing like it anywhere else. It is fitting that the unit is in Surrey where 25 per cent of the province’s children live and where our community is so engaged in their future. “The rest of Canada is graying, but in Surrey we have an abundance of children and teens. By investing in health care projects that keep our kids healthy — mind and body — we can contribute to a better world.” Learn more about the Foundation at www.championsforcare.com.
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