Whistler Health Care Foundation

November 3rd. 2006 saw the launch of the CT scanner campaign. Our goal was to raise, with the help of our funding partners - the Squamish & Pemberton Health Care Foundations & the Sea to Sky Regional hospital District (SSRHD), $1.270,000 by April 2007.

The Whistler Blackcomb Foundation kicked off the fundraising with a generous $275,000 and the Whistler Health Care Foundation pledged the almost $100,000 put aside in previous budgets towards purchasing the scanner. Squamish & Pemberton Health Care Foundations pledged $30,000 & $29,000 respectively. $509,000 (40% of the overall budget) was pledged by the SSRHD. Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) committed to train their staff and assume the operating costs starting April of 2008 (initial anticipated date for project completion).

CAT Mountain became the logo for the campaign and began to appear in weekly ads in the Question and on signage in the clinic as well as on flyers throughout the community. Donors quickly responded to the call to raise the $1,270,000.!

Funding partners signed a project charter with Vancouver Coastal Health and a steering committee to oversee the project was formed.

Initial funds of $15,000 (site analysis) and $180,000 (architectural plans) were released and planning began in January of 2007.

By the close of 2006 cash and commitment funds totaled $942,000. We started the New Year with a shortfall of $350,000 and high expectations of reaching our April 30th goal. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our donors by the beginning of April we were almost there. The final donation of $100,000 from CN was what put us over the top.

Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed promised his best efforts to have the project move through the permitting process without unnecessary delay. Once all the permits were in place the project could go to tender.

Unfortunately the celebration of our success was short-lived. We were soon to learn that the project budget provided to us by VCH was spectacularly below what the real costs would be. We were faced with a shortfall of almost a million dollars.

Over the next few months the funding partners worked with senior officials at VCH and with local administrators as well as officials from RMOW to review cost estimates and find ways to lower the budget shortfall. The revised budget came in at $2,217,058.

Our next dilemma was how to approach the raising of an additional $700,000. In the end, we opted to make our case to the Sea to Sky Regional Hospital District for inclusion of the shortfall in its budget.

Gary Watson, vice chair of the Foundation provided a great deal of analysis to demonstrate the feasibility of public funding for the remainder of the project and Whistler mayor Ken Melamed, who is a member of the Sea to Sky Regional Hospital District board, provided the leadership to develop consensus for approval.

Out of a total project cost of $2,217,058 we will have secured $993,500 through private donations.

The project finally went to tender in June of 2008. Scott Construction was the successful bidder. Vancouver Coastal Health has agreed that should there be further shortfalls they would assume the costs. Construction is proceeding on time and opening of the facility is scheduled for October of 2009. and the VCH project manager Michael Aberhardt is working closely with them to finalize plans and set construction timelines. At this time it is anticipated that:

1. Redesign, in support of the new GE 64 slice CT, should be completed by mid August 2008.
2. Site mobilization is expected to commence by mid September 2008.
3. The contractor has indicated a 6-7 month delivery schedule.  Vancouver Coastal Health has agreed that that should there be further shortfalls they would assume the costs.

Major private sector donations were provided by the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation ($275,000), CN Rail ($100,000), The Houssian Family Foundation ($50,000), a donation by Barb Mathews in memory of her father Dave Matthews ($40,000), Geordie Trusler ($25,000), Royal Bank ($20,000), the Ken Downey Foundation ($15,000), Dean Alexander ($12,080), Andy Szocs ($10.000) and the American Friends of Whistler ($10,000), as well as a number of anonymous donations over $10,000.

What most gratified me about the campaign, Marnie Simon (WHCF Chairperson) commented, was the degree to which the campaign eventually grew into a genuine community effort, embracing individuals and groups from the broad spectrum of interests in the corridor. Many groups such as the Whistler Firemen, the Health Professionals, Winter Pride, WORCA, the local Coffee Houses, Senior Men’s and Women’s Hockey, Whistler Rotary and other informal groups found their own way to spearhead special events or programs to raise funds and draw attention to the campaign.

Many of the key people in these groups are also involved with the Dave Sheets Foundation. Dave Sheets’ untimely death following an on hill collision provided a poignant focus for the need for improved diagnostics at the WHCC.

Countless individual donors also generously gave what they could and their donations during the campaign and over the years added to the existing WHCF funds of $100,000 .

The other Foundations in the corridor have also made substantial commitments; Squamish - $95,000 ($20,000 committed to staff training) and Pemberton - $29,000.

As timing became a problem, local resident Jim Duncan stepped up to the plate with a personal contribution of $50,000 and CN with $100,000. These final donations enabled the project to move to the regulatory phase.

Public funds will come from the Sea to Sky Regional Hospital District ($509,000 + $700,000 for the shortfall).

The WHCF takes every available opportunity to recognize their donors. Public thanks via media releases and newsletters, on our website and in our promotional materials as well as during Foundation events donors are thanked for their contributions. Maintenance of the WHCF donor board at the entrance to the Whistler Health Care Clinic is a high priority.

On behalf of the members of the board, the health care providers and staff of the clinic, I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who have supported the campaign and those who have been regular donors over the years. These donations are responsible for much of the improvement that has taken place in the WHCC over the years and have enabled the continuation of the Foundation’s ongoing fundraising and advocacy activities.
Marnie Simon - Chairperson

A beautiful new addition, “the tree of life”, a seven-foot cedar donor board carved in the shape of a pine tree by local artist Jim Barnum, can be viewed in the WHCF boutique area of the ER waiting room. This tree is used to recognize the major donors to the CT scanner Campaign. Jim Barnum gave generously of his time and talents and donated this unique piece of art to the Foundation along with a similar creation “the tree of Lights” which is used to recognize donations during the Indulge gala, an annual fundraising event for the WHCF.
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In response to a request from the funding partners, the original CT scanner project steering committee has been disbanded and replaced by a Governance committee with the mandate to oversee the disbursement of funds and receive and review progress reports from the project manager.

Membership in this committee includes:
Mary Ackenhusen, Chief Operating Officer, VCH
Dr Laverne Kindree & Don Christie, Squamish Hospital Foundation
Marnie Simon & Garry Watson, Whistler Health Care Foundation
Bruce MacFayden Pemberton Health Care Foundation

The project steering committee (comprised of VCHA executive) will oversee the details of the project and defer funding approvals to the Governance committee.

The project manager reports to both the Governance and Steering committees.

GE celebrates the spirit of the Games with donation of legacy CT scanner

Marnie Simon, President of the Whistler Health Care Foundation holds a photo presented by Paul Foster & Jim de Leong of GE, of the CT scanner donated by GE. that is to be installed at the WHCC..

As a tribute to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, GE— a worldwide partner of the Olympic Games, on July 15th.,donated a CT scanner to the Sea to Sky region of British Columbia.

GE’s Lightspeed VCT, a state-of-the-art medical imaging device, will be located in the Whistler Health Care Centre in advance of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and will remain within the community following the Games .for the use of residents of the Sea to Sky corridor. Visitors and residents will no longer have to travel long distances for CT scans.

What is a CT scanner? Computed tomography (CT) is a medical imaging method capable of generating three-dimensional images, inside the body, non-invasively. With more than 23,000 ski-related head injuries and 19,000 mountain biking-related head injuries occurring every year in Whistler, the scanner is an important addition for the Sea to Sky regions’ health care inventory.

“We are extremely pleased with the tremendous support from GE for the CT scan,” said Dr. Jack Taunton, VANOC Chief Medical Officer. “This legacy gift will help ensure that British Columbians seeking health care services at their local hospitals and clinics in Sea to Sky communities receive a high standard of care before, during and after the 2010 Winter Games.”