BRINGING “ROYAL” SERVICE BACK TO OUR HOSPITAL

CELEBRATING 12 YEARS

BRINGING “ROYAL” SERVICE BACK TO OUR HOSPITAL

Today, I salute everyone who In 2008, the ICCHA/Wish Fund Kelowna! It’s frustrating to know we have believed in the ICCHA/Wish replaced 20-year old heart monitors that the resources, but we just don’t have the dream to “Give Back to our were used for patients after surgery in the tools,” Chantelle Van Goor – wife of cardiac Community” from where we have Post Anesthetic Recovery(PAR) room. How patient, Brad Van Goor (Kamloops). enriched ourselves in health, wealth and can we call this “Royal” treatment when The ICCHA/Wish Fund has been happiness. Our Drive-Thru Dinner on technological advancements already existed asking the government and Interior Friday November 13th, 2020 was held in this area of care but the department Health to approve the much needed at Colombo Lodge to raise $300,000 for had to use outdated equipment? services of a Cath Lab for our community the much needed 3D-Echocardiogram Kidney stones are painful enough because of our growth and aging machine at Royal Inland Hospital. It was without the added pain of Interior Health population. This will allow cardiologists a huge success despite the Covid-19 failing to provide a Lithotripter machine at RIH to perform accurate diagnostic pandemic. Time and again, our for our doctors to remove them. Again, services for cardiac patients that can be community has come together to support the ICCHA/Wish Fund donated over treated locally in Kamloops to receive the our missions to improve healthcare for $100,000 to fund the first Lithotripter “Royal” treatment they deserve! our region and I sincerely thank you. equipment in the BC Interior. One begins During the recent snap-

The Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) as to see the pattern that how can the election, candidates were asked if a we know was officially opened in 1912 doctors provide “Royal” service when our catheterization lab should be included in by the Duke of Connaught (Queen government does not provide them with Royal Inland Hospital’s new patient-care Victoria’s seventh child). It was the first proper tools and equipment? tower. Kamloops-South Thompson B.C. hospital to be built in the BC interior. Many voids have been filled by Liberal candidate Todd Stone said he Back then, people were afraid of hospitals the ICCHA/Wish Fund to improve supports Patel and anything to advance and doctors sometimes had house calls healthcare for patients at Royal Inland and improve health care in Kamloops that took them hundreds of miles away, Hospital. When classified as a “tertiary” and NDP candidate Anna Thomas said travelling by train, horse or even on foot. hospital, I feel we are constantly being she would also support a cath lab. “If The RIH has come a long way since then, overlooked by the powers who favor that’s what the community wants, that’s but we can’t help question when did our Kelowna’s development over our own what we should action,”she said. hospital lose its “Royal” status? “Royal” Inland Hospital. Yes, we are ready with the

For many years, we have had to watch By September 30th, 2019, with the prerequisites for the Cath Lab and we Kelowna General Hospital expand community supporting our missions, must hold the government accountable and vital services moved there by the we were successful in establishing the for the welfare of all, not only the BC governments in power. Slowly but “ICCHA/Wish Coronary Care Unit Interior South where Kelowna is located! surely, RIH became the rest stop for (CCU)” at RIH. This is where four cardiac Thank you all who gave from their critical patients, waiting for them to patients, after being stabilized, can be heart to save a heart! With your support, be transported to either Kelowna or monitored 24/7 in dedicated rooms the flame to make a change will never die. Vancouver. We were promised a full- using state of the art Esprezzon Cardiac fledged cancer or a cardiac care centre Monitoring System. They are cared for but both were awarded to Kelowna. under the supervision of 7 specialized This meant cancer and cardiac patients cardiologists and trained cardiac nurses. from our region had no choice but to This CCU is just the first stepping-stone travel to Kelowna by bus or ambulance towards our ultimate goal of establishing for treatment and spend the whole day a Catheterization Lab. Without the Cath waiting for a ride home the same day! Lab, over a thousand cardiac patients per How can we call this a “Royal” service? year will still be transported to Kelowna by

However, with donations from our ambulances for non invasive diagnostics community, we raised over $1.4million and treatments. How is the added stress, dollars since 2007, First ICCHA/Wish inconvenience, costs and added risk of established the Cancer Education Room travelling during the winter, a “Royal” at RIH from where cancer patients could talk to their oncologists in Kelowna or service to patients and the families of our communities? Al Patel Founder of ICCHA/Wish Fund Vancouver rather than travelling the distance to discuss the outcome of their “It took about one hour from start to finish for Brad’s angiogram. For an hour’s “Have a heart to give, treatments. treatment, we had to spend 3 days in for a heart to live.” “Have a heart to give, for a heart to live.” 7