“Closer to home than you think”
KGH Foundation announces massive, $40 million fundraising campaign for local health care
KELOWNA, BC, April 4, 2023 – “Because not only have you told us that health care has to change. You’ve also told us you want to help. It’s time to bring it home.”
~Allison Young, CEO, KGH Foundation
The KGH Foundation is launching its largest fundraising campaign in history with a massive, $40 million commitment to advance health care at Kelowna General Hospital and more broadly in the community.
“Today, we stand with patients, families and our partners in health care to launch what will be the future of care in our community,” said Allison Young, CEO of the KGH Foundation. “We all want the same thing. What matters most to all of us is the health care that is being delivered right here, where we live.”
“When you’re healthy, you might not think much about health care,” shared Dawn Wrightson, a retired nurse and health care administrator who spoke on behalf of patients and families.
“But when facing a life-threatening diagnosis, a critical injury, or when it’s someone you love, I can assure you, it’s all you think about.”
“We are grappling with the same, complicated issues that communities across Canada are facing,” said Dr. Devin Harris, Interior Health’s Executive Medical Director of Quality and Patient Safety and an Emergency Physician at KGH. “While the pandemic was acutely disruptive, it also showed us what we can do.”
Dr. Harris, along with a number of physician/clinician colleagues from a variety of medical specialties and community care, has actively participated in the campaign’s advisory cabinet, helping to inform priorities and re-imagine what is possible in delivery of care locally.
The campaign is significantly different from the Foundation’s recent fundraising efforts. Rather than focus solely on the acquisition of equipment or expansion of services in one single area of care, the $40 million includes a novel commitment to innovation funding, and is allocated across eight areas of priority.
“As part of our commitment to advancing clinical and surgical excellence, we will be raising the funds needed to acquire a 3T MRI machine, one of the gold standards in medical imaging, for KGH,” highlighted Young. “The addition of the 3T MRI will not only impact waitlists but will improve patient care on many levels thanks to its capacity to deliver faster scans, clearer images and more accurate diagnosis.”
KGH cardiologist, Dr. Frank Halperin and KGH diagnostic radiologist, Dr. Michael Partrick, also participated in the campaign’s advisory cabinet and are excited about the opportunity to engage the community in the effort to improve health care locally.
“The fact that the campaign is recognizing the need for support across multiple medical specialties and in services in our community is really remarkable,” agrees Dr. Partrick. “This campaign is so important for those of us who work in health care. Not just for the funding but to know that we have our community’s support.”
“It has been a very collaborative effort,” says Dr. Halperin, “Health care is changing. In order for the community to have a meaningful impact on health care, we need to find different, more efficient ways to deliver care and embrace technology. We are pleased that this campaign addresses more than the need for better equipment.”
Reflecting further on the potential impact of the campaign, Young says, “Success is keeping interior patients close to home for advanced, specialized care. It’s reducing waitlists and enabling access. It’s establishing the conditions that will attract and keep our brilliant physicians and clinicians right here in our community. Success is an investment in innovation that will help build the accessible, inclusive, sustainable system of care that we all deserve.”
“The future of health care is closer to home than you think. It starts today.”
For more information on the campaign and fundraising goals, visit kghfoundation.com
Since 1978, the KGH Foundation has worked with a generous community to raise funds to support world-class healthcare close to home for a growing and diverse population in the interior of B.C. Today, the KGH Foundation is the lead fundraising organization for Kelowna General Hospital and its associated facilities, JoeAnna’s House, and Central Okanagan Hospice House.
Media Contact:
Shauna Nyrose
Senior Director, Brand & Communications
KGH Foundation
p| 250-862-4300 ext. 7058
c| 250-801-0886
e| shauna.nyrose@interiorhealth.ca
