The community has again lit up the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation.
In a year where so many things were uncertain, one thing remained unchanged and that’s the generosity of the North Okanagan and its commitment to supporting excellence in healthcare.
The annual Light a Bulb campaign raised more than $340,000.
“Our supporters and North Okanagan residents never cease to amaze me in their devotion to healthcare in our region. At a time when we know that many have been challenged in various ways, we are ecstatic to announce this record-breaking total for our Light a Bulb campaign,” said foundation president and campaign chairperson Michael Kinghorn.
“And while we missed seeing many members of our community who make it a holiday tradition to stop into our office to say hello and tell us stories about why they give, we were pleased to connect with others on the phone and via email. We truly do have such generous donors.”
The Medical Imaging Department at VJH is overjoyed to learn that from these funds an additional echocardiogram machine – a piece of equipment that produces an important and comprehensive ultrasound exam for physicians to learn about a patient’s heart function – will be added to their equipment repertoire.
“Having this additional machine will enable us to significantly increase our capacity to do more echocardiograms for patients,” said Justin Tait, cardiac sonographer at VJH. “Currently we have two machines that produce high-quality images of the heart and assist us in analyzing many forms of heart disease. One machine is dedicated to performing exams for inpatients while the second machine is for outpatients. This third machine will help us keep up with ever-growing demand and to significantly reduce our waitlist for outpatients.”
The campaign success and the surpassing of the fundraising target means the VJH Foundation can support the purchase of additional critical equipment for the hospital.
READ MORE: Donation to Vernon hospital’s Light a Bulb campaign makes great gift
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roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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