For Allan McKenzie giving back to the community that he and his late wife Rosie fell in love with more than 30 years ago feels both natural and deeply meaningful. One cause especially close to his heart is the establishment of a Heart Catheterization Lab to serve the community of Central Vancouver Island. He has…
At the Nanaimo Cancer Clinic, Megan Hamblin helps patients navigate some of the most difficult moments of their lives with compassion, reassurance, and care. As an Oncology Nurse at NRGH, she brings comfort, connection, and a steady presence to every patient interaction, reminding us that healthcare is about so much more than treatment alone.
Meet Kelly Cox, Executive Medical Director at NRGH, whose leadership and passion for patient care are helping guide healthcare forward in our region. In her Healthcare Spotlight story, Kelly shares the realities facing local healthcare teams, the importance of investing in staff and equipment, and the impact community support has on care across Central Vancouver Island.
Meet Patrick Gaston, a healthcare leader helping shape the future of care at NRGH. In his Healthcare Spotlight story, Patrick shares why building a stronger healthcare system starts with supporting the people behind it, and why recruitment and retention matter more than ever for our region’s future.
Meet Nora Penty, a dedicated healthcare professional whose compassion and commitment continue to make a difference for patients and families in our community. In her Healthcare Spotlight story, Nora reflects on the human side of healthcare, the connections that stay with you, and the importance of ensuring local care teams feel supported, valued, and equipped to provide the best possible care.
If you’ve ever received a Nanaimo Lifeline Check-In, call on a Friday morning, there’s a good chance you’ve already experienced Teresa Ostman’s kindness firsthand. With a warm voice and a genuine love for connection, Teresa brings comfort, consistency, and a sense of care to every conversation she has.
If you have ever crossed paths with Kathy Berg at an event, chances are you have already experienced her warmth, energy, and genuine love for community.
For Natashca, the operating room is more than just a place of procedure, it’s a place where teamwork, precision, and trust come together to change lives. In her Healthcare Spotlight story, she shares what it means to care for patients behind the scenes and the dedication it takes to support surgical care at NRGH.
What started as a group of women coming together on the water has grown into something much bigger. Built on community, connection, and a shared commitment to making a difference, the Let Her Run Dragon Boat Team create a meaningful impact.
Thanks to the dedicated working group of peers, we have started populating the roadmap of changes over the next 10 months towards opening BC’s first emergency unit of this kind.
Planning for the future is an important part of what we do, and planned gifts from our generous, visionary donors help ensure better healthcare for generations to come. Planned gifts we accept include Charitable Bequests through Wills, Charitable Remainder Trusts, Charitable Gift Annuities, Gifts of Stock and more. For more information about making a planned gift to the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation, please click the link below.
As a monthly giving donor, you will help build a future of healthcare excellence over time, benefiting the ones you care for most. Together, monthly donors enable long-term, sustainable planning to support the delivery of better healthcare in our community.
Making a donation in memory of a family, friend or other loved one is a wonderful way to honour their memory, while also making a gift that will keep on giving back to the community through better healthcare. Donations are also a great way to celebrate life’s important milestones such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, retirements and more.
To make a gift of securities in kind, please download this fillable form and instruct your broker to initiate the transfer on your behalf. We sell the shares immediately upon receipt, and send you a charitable tax receipt for the fair market value at the date of transfer.
Cancer Care
Our work continues to support local cancer care in Nanaimo, including specialized pathology equipment to examine tissue biopsies for suspected cases of cancer. We’re also helping to move forward the project around a regional cancer center, keeping patients closer to their support networks. This essential area of care is long overdue, and has affected so many families on the island.
Community and Family Health
This area gives focus to children’s health, family doctor recruitment support with the Division of Family Practice, occupational health, palliative care, senior’s care, and education as well as other support for our nurses. We have already had excellent success in this area, with the recruitment of new doctors, and more on the way. Several key partnerships are already in place, and we continue to pursue additional alliances to expand our circle of impact.
Critical Care
Critical Care includes all acute care – emergency, ICU and HAU, and surgery. In June 2023, the new ICU opened with all the required critical equipment funded by
community donors and has been operating at full capacity since then. We are excited to share that the HAU is on track for expected completion by summer 2025, ensuring that our community has access to the highest standard of care.
Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our community, and a transformational gift from the Windsor Plywood Foundation, we have almost achieved our fundraising goal.
Heart and Stroke Care
This area of care includes a new cath lab and equipment, as well as several recent equipment purchases such as echocardiology machine & TEE probe, cardiac ultrasound, a cardiac stress test system, two wireless ECG machines, an echo stretcher, power chairs for our pacemaker clinic, and a Holter scanning system. Costs were also covered for additional staff training on advanced cardiac life support, and heart dysrhythmia.
Innovation
It is only through innovation that we can ensure we maintain the highest standards of care for our community. “We have always done it that way” is not an acceptable answer for our team. We know that to be a driving force in improving healthcare in Central and North Vancouver Island, we must constantly seek new and innovative ways to pursue our vision.
We continue to press for innovation in the areas of advocacy, laboratory services, medical imaging, medical professional education, and pharmacy, among others.
And once again, mutually beneficial partnerships grounded in the desire to improve healthcare outcomes are key to the Foundation having an impact well beyond our traditional resources.
Mental Health
We continue to seek out ways to improve and expand medical detox, VI scan (Vancouver Island Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect program), and youth wellness outreach. These essential areas are interwoven with other areas of care, and we seek ways to innovate and create greater impact.