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October 2019

Hospital Foundation Welcomes New Board Chair

By News

The Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation Board of Directors recently welcomed a new Board Chair, Moira Jenkins. Moira takes over the role from previous Board Chair, Greg Scott. We thank Greg for his dedication as our Board Chair for the past four years and welcome Moira to her new position!

During his tenure, Greg provided exemplary leadership and vision for the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation Board. He has been on the Board since 2008 and has served in a number of positions and on numerous committees to help the Hospital Foundation fulfil its mission. We look forward to his valued contributions as Past Chair this coming year.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the donors, the NDHF board, staff and volunteers, and Island Health staff for improving healthcare in the Central Island region. I am humbled and honoured to have had the opportunity to be Chair for the past four years. I am excited to see how the Hospital Foundation improves healthcare excellence on Vancouver Island in the years to come.”

Moira has been on the Hospital Foundation Board for four years and has served in a number of capacities, most recently as Vice Chair. We thank her for her service to date and look forward to her strategic leadership as we launch the biggest fundraising campaign in our Hospital Foundation’s history in 2020.

“It is an honour and a pleasure to be elected as Chair of the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation. The board, staff and volunteers, under the excellent Board leadership of Greg Scott and with the tremendous work of CEO Janice Perrino and her dedicated staff, have achieved excellence in fundraising for healthcare in our region. It is a privilege to be a part of this passionate team. I want to personally thank our donors whose commitment to healthcare in our community is so appreciated. Your generous support allowed us to commit to $3.8 million in projects in the region last year. It is an exciting time for our hospital with the expansion of our cardiac and endoscopy departments and of course the important news of a new ICU.  We have lofty goals to support these and other projects. We again look to you and others to help us build a groundswell of support for healthcare here in the Central Island. Thank you for all your help.”

The Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation is grateful for the hard work and commitment of our board. To learn more about Greg, Moira and the rest of our exceptional board members, please visit: http://nhf.farmfreshdesign.ca/board/

Support for Youth Activities

By News

Did you know? The Hospital Foundation funds more than just medical equipment and big projects. We also fund items that help improve the overall well being of our community.

We recently provided funding for the purchase of a ping pong table and paddles for Young Adult/Youth Group – Early Intervention Services; a service provided by Island Health’s Nanaimo Mental Health & Substance Use Community Services. Healthy activities for youth who are seeking support are vital and we are proud to contribute to this important area of care.

Photo: Staff members Kyla Smienk and Alyse Paquette

Longwood Brews Up Great Event!

By Thank You!

A big thank you to Longwood Brewery for their $2,000 donation! Funds were raised through their incredible event, Longwoodstock in September. The donation will go towards the new surgical suite for the Endoscopy Department at NRGH. This project is so important as up to 35% more colonoscopies will be able to be performed, a vital procedure that can prevent colon cancer if caught early. Learn more about our current campaign to raise the remaining $1 million needed to build the surgical suite at http://bit.ly/NRGHENDO

Photo: Janice Krall, CDO & Janice Perrino, CEO, Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation; Tracy McLean & Harley Smith, Longwood Brewery; Dave St. Jean, Longwoodstock Festival Director

Chix with Stix Support Nurse Education

By Thank You!

Thank you to the Chix with Stix Dragon Boat Team for their generous $1,500 donation.

Their donation is in honour of Holly Martina Vermeulen Paquette who passed away at the age of 9 months on January 10, 2019 as a result of complications from Influenza A. Chix paddler Amanda is Holly’s aunt and a former nurse at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. The donation will support nurses’ education in paediatrics critical care.

Their donation was raised through a combination of Paddlers’ annual dues and sponsorship contributions. To date, they have donated over $30,000 to support multiple areas of care for our community. We are grateful for their commitment and give our condolences to Holly’s extended family.

Photo: Janet Povey & Heather Mitchell

New Respiratory Equipment Provides Relief

By News, Thank You!

The Philips V60 funded by TB Vets has arrived! The V60 replaces equipment that has served the hospital and patients well since 2001 but is no longer serviceable.

The V60 delivers essential therapy to treat acute respiratory/ventilatory failure in patients at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH). The respiratory failure can result from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), Congestive heart failure, neuromuscular disease and other conditions that lead to acute respiratory insufficiency.

Patients wear a fitted mask that is connected through a circuit that provides breathing support. This support is synchronized with the patient’s efforts to enhance respiratory effectiveness, decrease breathing effort and lessen the feeling of breathlessness. It also improves the ability of the lungs to transport oxygen into the patient’s blood. This results in greater levels of oxygen throughout the patient’s body. An integrated battery and oxygen tank manifold allows therapy to continue while the patient is transported within the hospital.

Respiratory Therapists are essential in applying this therapy at NRGH. They ensure the patient is properly connected to the V60 and adjust the therapy to the patient’s needs. Approximately 150 patients per year will immediately benefit from this advanced equipment. The demand for this therapy will continue to rise due to our growing population and the increase in cardio-respiratory disability. The support of organizations such as TB Vets is essential in providing better healthcare for our community. Thank you TB Vets!

Photo: Dwaine Talbot, RRT , Clinical Chief and Donia Oumesrour, Respiratory Therapy Services, NRGH

Investing in Nurse Education

By Medical Staff Education
Ongoing education is an important component of patient care. The Hospital Foundation is delighted to share an update on our latest investment in education for our amazing paediatric nursing staff at NRGH.
“I would like to thank the Nanaimo Hospital Foundation for their generosity in supplying 8 tickets for Nurses to attend this year’s Parent Child Conference in Nanaimo. This is the first year it was opened up to nursing and we were well represented thanks largely to the Foundation.
The topics and speakers were phenomenal. There were two fully packed days with talks from the role of antimicrobials in Asthma, harm reduction, implementing skin to skin contact at caesarian births, antibiotic use during pregnancy and lactation, hyperglycemia in Newborns to name only a few. All of the topics were so relevant to our every day practice and were well received and attended by our perinatal staff and providers from all over Vancouver Island.
We had 16 nurses total attend the conference 8 of those tickets were funded by the Foundation. Each of those staff are sharing the knowledge they gained with their peers who were unable to attend so our whole team has benefited.” Trina Knight, Manager, NRGH
Left front: Elizabeth O’Keef-Batta, Erin MacDonald, Pam Gardiner, Kathy Clark, Elizabeth Carlson, Joelle Pattern
Left back: Juanita Parsonage, Kristina Maguire, Melissa Gasson, Iris Halbach, Katherine Robinson, Alisha Pelletier, Trina Knight
Missing in the photo : Janice Bertoia, Jennifer Duncan and Jenny Williams

Foundation Mourns Loss of Colleague

By News

We are deeply saddened by the passing of our esteemed colleague and friend, Brenda Rositano. Brenda was with the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation for over 19 years. In the beginning, Brenda was the first Manager of Code Brew and got it up and running. Today, it is one of Nanaimo’s busiest cafés.

During her time with us she made a tremendous impact for healthcare in our community. Many got to know Brenda through the great events she led including Golf for Life, Run for Life and Lotto for Life. In the office, we could always rely on Brenda to get things done in her no-nonsense style and always with her fabulous smile.

We miss her enormously and are forever grateful for her commitment and passion that she brought to work every day. She was truly one of those genuine people you wish to have as part of your team. 

Newman’s Own Continues Generous Support

By Thank You!

Thank you to Newman’s Own Foundation for their generous $10,000 (USD) donation! To date, they have donated over $95,000 (CAD) to support healthcare in our community.

Their latest donation will help purchase vital medical equipment for the new surgical suite for the Endoscopy Department at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

Once complete, medical staff will be able to perform up to 35% more colonoscopies. This will greatly reduce wait times for this vital procedure for central Vancouver Island residents!

Thank you also to Quality Foods for nominating the Nanaimo Hospital Foundation to be a grant recipient again this year.

Photo: Mark Tilley, VP Int’l, Newman’s Own Foundation; Greg Scott, Board Chair, Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation (NDHF); Justin Schley, VP, Quality Foods (QF); Mike Dziadyk, Buyer, QF; Noel Hayward, President, QF; Moira Jenkins, Board Vice Chair, NDHF; Dianna Rivard, VP, Marketing, QF; Janice Perrino, CEO, NDHF; Mike Bellefontaine, Business Development Manager, QF

Matching Donation Secures New Medical Equipment

By Thank You!

Thank you to Muriel and Victor Jones for their generous matching donation! With their support, the Hospital Foundation was able to purchase a Pentax VNLJ10 Scope. This specialized scope for paediatric diagnostic and therapeutic procedures offers enhanced image quality. It also replaces a larger diameter probe with a narrow 2.5mm wand, especially important for paediatric procedures. The new, smaller scope will reduce stress on both patients and parents. The high-definition scope will be used by Dr. David Cheung and colleagues for endoscopic procedures on patients as young as newborns at NRGH.

Photo: Janice Perrino, CEO, Nanaimo Hospital Foundation, Dr. David Cheung, ENT Specialist, NRGH, Muriel & Victor Jones

Purple Hats for Newborns

By Thank You!

Thank you to the Parksville Qualicum Retired Teacher’s Association members who knitted these adorable hats for new babies at NRGH! They will help keep the babies comfortable and warm through the upcoming chilly months.

Photo: Janice Perrino, CEO, Hospital Foundation & Barb Brett, Parksville Qualicum Retired Teacher’s Association