TRANSFORMING HEALTHCARE

Recently, we had the opportunity to tour the new acute care tower, which is currently under construction. With nearly a thousand workers endeavouring to build what will be the home to the future of healthcare in BC, it was an overwhelming experience to see the bones of this state-of-the-art facility come together. Standing on the second floor, you were able to view the football-field sized open space from end-to-end and imagine the incredible work that will occur on what is set to become the interventional super-floor.

In December 2022, not long after this tour, Royal Columbian was visited by Jimmy Pattison, who announced his $30-million gift which will go towards the completion of this phase of the redevelopment. This represents the largest gift of its kind ever made in healthcare in our region. This donation will allow us to extend our ability to purchase innovative technology to ensure the interventional super-floor has cutting-edge equipment for the very best patient care in BC. In honour of this incredible contribution, the new tower will be named the Jim Pattison Acute Care Tower. Over the coming months, the Tower will increasingly take shape as the massive floors move from shells to a vital healthcare epicentre, scheduled to open in 2025.

The generous support of Jimmy Pattison may have capped off the year, but 2022 also saw countless donors, with a deep passion for supporting the work of the caregivers at Royal Columbian, come forward from the community. Your support, and the support of thousands of other donors, are celebrated in this issue of Your Health Matters. Given the significance and the deep impact made by all our donors, our words feel too small to fully express our gratitude, but we thank you on behalf of the millions of lives touched through your support. ■

Hema Bhatt, Dr.Sukh Brar, John Clinton, Diana Miles, Lynn Radbourne, Farid Rohani, Han Shu, Dr.William Siu, Emily Taylor, Rana Vig, Fred Withers

E

Making The Cut Charity Golf Classic

In 2013, a Royal Columbian anesthesiologist, Dr. Feisal Mohamedali (who, to this day, serves as the tournament Committee Chair), and a team of passionate hospital staff wanted to make a difference in their workplace and community. They had a vision that they could make a significant impact on the lives of the people they cared for daily and have some fun while doing it. Thus, Making the Cut Charity Golf Classic was born!

The 2022 event, with ‘Celebrating the 80s’ as its theme, brought together staff, physicians, corporate sponsors, and title sponsor Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society, to raise more than $70,000. This brings the overall total raised in the nine years of this event to $450,000. The funds purchase new equipment, specifically to support Trauma and Surgical Service programs at Royal Columbian Hospital.

EllisDon Star Struck Celebration Event

To honour the exceptional service of our frontline healthcare providers throughout the pandemic, the Foundation hosted the EllisDon Star Struck Celebration Event on Thursday, June 22, 2022 at the Aria Banquet Hall in Surrey. This first-time gala hosted over 1000 RCH staff and guests for an evening of relaxation, fun and appreciation. The venue was decked out to party, with delicious food, an array of drinks sponsored by Gulf & Fraser and dessert provided by the Westminster Society of Anesthesiologists: RCH Department of Anesthesiology and Peri-Operative Care.

Guests walked the Red Carpet, sponsored by Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society, and enjoyed entertainment sponsored by Mott Electric which included posing with celebrity impersonator Tracey Bell, marvelling at the magic of Kel, grooving to DJ SWRL and rocking out to the sounds of The Radiation. Guests also enjoyed the photo booths sponsored by Starlight Casino, arcade games sponsored by McDonald’s McBride, and relaxed & rejuvenated with a visit to the Wellness by subscribing to our monthly e-newsletter at rchfoundation.com

MTC participants having fun with the ‘Celebrating the 80s’ theme

Station, sponsored by Fraser Health Authority. Hats off to our safe ride sponsor Dr. Cedric and Felice Ho & Family, table sponsors ABC Recycling, Nicola Wealth, RCH Emergency Department/Columbia Emergency Physicians Association & PartyWorks Interactive, as well as in-kind sponsors Glacier Media Group & FastSigns Coquitlam for helping make this event a roaring success!

Cheers To You

Started in 2021 to boost the spirits of RCH’s frontline healthcare workers during the pandemic, our popular Cheers to You events are dedicated to celebrating and spreading joy amongst our hard-working hospital staff. From our roving treat cart, to fun contests with great prizes, to thousands of meals served, these special treats are deeply appreciated by our staff and physicians, and truly make a difference in their day. A special thanks to the Rich Widdifield Team at CI Assante Capital Management Ltd and the Jameson Family for sponsoring 1,100 servings of cheesy goodness from the REEL Mac and Cheese truck in December 2022!

Coast Capital Spreads ‘Joy to the Ward’

Each year, Coast Capital reinvests 10% of their budgeted bottom line back into our communities and serve in support of building better futures for all Canadians. Over the last two years, Coast Capital has generously contributed $60,000 to the areas of greatest need at Royal Columbian Hospital. In December 2022, they also stepped forward with a sponsorship of our ‘Joy to the Ward’ cart, which provided holiday treats for our frontline healthcare providers.

NICU Step Challenge

Heather Bradfield and Tyler Gamsby spent a combined total of almost six months in Royal Columbian’s Labour and Delivery unit and the Variety Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) through the births of their three children. Through it all, they were grateful for the care they received from the doctors, nurses, and support staff. Wanting to find a way to give back, they launched the NICU Step Challenge to support the care of RCH’s tiniest patients. They challenged participants from the community to raise funds by committing to walk 12,000 steps every day for two weeks. That represents the average number of steps a NICU caregiver will walk in a day, compared to the Canadian average of 4,800 steps. The BradfieldGamsby family matched every dollar raised, up to a total of $10,000!