North Okanagan residents are that much closer to timely access to life-saving scanning equipment.
In just five weeks, nearly $700,000 has been raised for an urgently needed CT scanner at Vernon Jubilee Hospital. Now, to make doubling CT scanning capacity a reality, only $200,000 is left to raise.
“We’ve witnessed the wonder of a community coming together for a cause that’s close to home for so many of us,” said Kate McBrearty, VJH Foundation executive director. “As folks continue their generosity through the holidays and look to make any last minute 2022 charitable donations, we’re excited to see how close we can get to crossing the finish line.”
CT scanners are critical in diagnosing patients across a range of care needs, from cancer and emergency trauma to severe headaches and abdominal pain. With the community’s growing health care needs, right now VJH has just one state-of-the-art scanner running 24 hours a day, seven days a week—and still, the average patient wait time last year was 68 days.
“Having a second scanner means wait times drop and people can get the images that doctors need so treatment plans can be decided quickly,” said Dr. Eiko Waida, a pediatric physician at VJH.
The total cost of the CT Scanner Expansion Campaign is $6.3 million. With a rare $1 million gift inspiring other significant early donations, a record-breaking Giving Tuesday with matching gifts from the Galbraith Family Foundation and even a challenge from Albertans with homes here; nearly 80 per cent of the $900,000 campaign launched in November has been raised.
This season, all VJH Light a Bulb donations will go toward increasing access to life-saving scans in the North Okanagan.
Learn more and donate at vjhfoundation.org/light-a-bulbct-scanner.
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