The fundraising efforts of the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation recently got a boost in the form of a $30,000 donation from the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation of Canada.
Work is already underway for the $5.3-million multipurpose interventional suite, which will increase the hospital's capacity to care for cardiac, stroke and aneurysm patients by about 1,400 patients per year. The foundation has pledged to provide $2.8 million towards the project, with an eye of reaching that goal by spring. The fund got a boost in the summer with a $1 million donation from a donor who wished to remain anonymous.
RCH provides one-third of all minimally invasive heart procedures in B.C.; however, the hospital can't keep up with the increasing demand for specialized cardiac services, and often must refer patients for care outside of the region.
"Tzu Chi Foundation Burnaby Team decided to donate to RCH when they realized that the hospital might be the busiest one in Fraser Health and doesn't have the capacity to respond to the growing demand in critical health care," said Tzu Chi Foundation volunteer Mei Luen Kuo.
"Cardiac, stroke and aneurysm patients are going to get the specialized care they need closer to home thanks to the generous contributions of RCH Foundation's donors in partnership with Fraser Health," says foundation president Adrienne Bakker. "Grateful patients, corporate and community leaders are donating to this campaign because they recognize their support can help transform cardiovascular disease from something that is deadly into something that is treatable."
The foundation says that a variety of donors have been involved in the project because of the impact it has on the region.
They point to Gino Nonni and Wesgroup Properties as just one example.
"Wesgroup is proud to be associated with Royal Columbian Hospital and to support their new cardiac and stroke treatment facility," said Nonni in a press release. "I've learned first-hand about some of the life-saving procedures that will be performed there, and I'm truly amazed at what the medical staff can do to assist patients throughout Fraser Health."
Bring back meds
Metro Vancouver and the B.C. Pharmacy Association are hoping to convince people in this area to make another new year's resolution: to bring their unused medications back to their local pharmacy so they can be disposed of properly.
In a recent press release, the two organizations note that old and expired medications are potentially harmful if they are swallowed by children or pets, and that medications need to be carefully disposed so they do not contaminate the environment.
"The good news is that more people than ever are taking their unused medications back to their pharmacy," said Metro Vancouver board chair Greg Moore. "Our hope is that, by continuing to work with the region's pharmacists, we can make even more people aware of how easy it is to have unused medications disposed of safely."
Parkash Ragsdale, deputy CEO of BCPhA, said community pharmacists are in the ideal position to promote safe medication returns and have been helping to protect both their patients and the environment for many years.
"For 2012, we're encouraging the public to make it their resolution to return their unused medications to their pharmacy."
More than 375 pharmacies are involved in this year's medication returns campaign. Further information can be found at www.medicationsreturn. ca.
Faster surgery?
Technology is helping to improve health care in the Fraser Health region.
The region recently revealed its Soonest Surgery Tool, an online feature which allows patients and doctors to easily find the names of surgeons in the region who may be able to perform a procedure sooner than others.
By choosing a surgical procedure from a dropdown list, the website will give a list of five surgeons who are predicted to be able to perform the surgery sooner. With over 250 surgeons operating in 10 hospitals, it's been a challenge to know all the surgical specialists and predicted wait times.
The tool, at www.fraser health.ca/surgery, uses data that Fraser Health provides daily for the Ministry of Health's surgical patient registry.
The tool creates a list of five possible surgeons who may be able to perform a procedure sooner by using calculations based on the number of procedures that surgeon has performed in the last four months and the number of patients on their wait list.
The website also provides information for patients on how to prepare for surgery, and checklists on post-surgery care.
Fraser Health is the first health authority in North America to develop and provide information on surgical wait lists in this kind of format.
"Long surgical wait times are a challenge across the country. While a knee replacement or hernia repair might not be urgent, for the individuals waiting, it can be an unpleasant experience," said Dr. Nigel Murray, chief executive officer with Fraser Health, in a press release. "The Soonest Surgery Tool is one way we can inform patients of surgical wait times so that they are able to make informed decisions about their surgery."
Thrifty helps out
In most cases, being a good neighbour means lending a tool or a cup of sugar, but in the case of a new neighbour to the Sapperton area, it means helping out in a big way.
The new Thrifty Foods store in New Westminster recently presented a donation of $4,859 to the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation, which they raised through a social media campaign, pumpkin sales and barbecues. The funds will go towards the hospital's multipurpose interventional suite that will help expand cardiac, stroke and aneurysm care at RCH.
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