Hospital Foundations
So before I left for New York, I wrote a column for the Abbotsford Post on a recent conversation I had with a young business owner:
I wrote the piece and went away. While I was gone, I received an e-mail from Jason Howe over at the Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation, asking for some help with their very innovative Tulips for Tomorrow campaign (as blogged by Miss 604 here). The SMH Foundation is trying to raise $15 million to ensure its new ER is state-of-the-art.
Today, five members of Township Council (myself, Mayor Alberts, and Councillors Fox, Ward, and Vickberg--the other four couldn't get away to come)--toured Langley Memorial Hospital and met with senior Fraser Health Authority staff and LMH medical staff on some of the issues around the hospital. They are in the midst of putting together a site developmental plan, and, interestingly, working to reform the LMH Foundation to be more of a fundraising source, much like Abbotsford, Surrey and elsewhere.
Clearly the funding model for hospitals has changed to include more dollars from foundations. The Surrey and Abbotsford foundations are raising $15 million and $7.5 million, respectively, to ensure that their hospitals are "state-of-the-art." I guess this leads me into a few questions:
- Are we doing enough as a community in Langley to support our hospital? Am I doing enough?
- Why have I been approached by the Abbotsford and Surrey hospital foundations for support, and not heard from Langley?
- Is the provincial government (of which I am obviously a well-known supporter) sufficiently funding these hospitals?
- Are foundations raising money for core equipment ("must-haves") or for extras (the "nice-to-haves")?
- Shouldn't every hospital be "state-of-the-art"? Or just the ones who have foundations busily raising money?
LMH's needs are relatively modest in the whole scheme of health care in the region--an extra anastheologist, five more (funded) maternity beds, a reconfigured/expanded space for emergency and radiology, and a new facility for ambulatory care.
I like the idea of communities supporting their hospitals through foundations, and when the LMH Foundation launches their next campaign, I'll be glad to help. But I want to believe that the core needs of these hospitals are being funded through our tax dollars, and that this fundraising isn't for life and death items, but for the extras that make health care service better.
Thoughts? I'd be especially interested in what those of you who work within the foundation or health care system think...
He told me his opinion on Plan A and the state of the city, before sharing an interesting observation. "I don't get it," he said to me. "I pay a lot in taxes to every level of government. I watched a referendum with low turnout add $85 million in debt to my town. I see a brand new hospital being built in a partnership with the private sector. And yet I'm still being asked to contribute more money so that hospital will have the equipment necessary to do its work."
As most of you know, George Peary, the well-respected chair of the Campaign for Health Care Excellence, has been tirelessly raising money for the new hospital. His group is closing in on its goal of raising $7.5 million, an incredible total. Peary should be commended for his service. He has been working on this hospital for twenty years, and is now just months away from seeing it open and serving the people of Abbotsford. Every one I talk to regards him very highly, and I suspect there are a few "Draft Peary for mayor" campaigns in the works.
But the young business owner makes an interesting point. Why are private donors having to come forward to pay for hospital equipment?
We all want the hospital to have the best technology possible, but with a $4.1 billion surplus in Victoria and a $14.2 billion surplus in Ottawa, it seems bizarre that the already overtaxed citizens of Abbotsford are being called upon to fund needed equipment.
It is clear to many voters that the entire tax system--from the feds right down to municipal councils--needs revamping. We see massive surpluses being built on the back of more and more downloading on to local governments and local taxpayers. That's what finding donors for hospital equipment really is: downloading. Abbotsford residents, out of the kindness of their very generous hearts, are taking this on. Buying the latest scanner with your funds means the provincial government is off the hook for it.
This is just another example of why I am so hopeful that the Livability Accord signed by Abbotsford, Langley, Surrey and Coquitlam will help us refocus Ottawa and Victoria on the priorities and needs of fast-growing communities. Our councils, MLAs, MPs, and most importantly our residents, need to speak with one strong voice and demand our fair share of infrastructure funding.
I wrote the piece and went away. While I was gone, I received an e-mail from Jason Howe over at the Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation, asking for some help with their very innovative Tulips for Tomorrow campaign (as blogged by Miss 604 here). The SMH Foundation is trying to raise $15 million to ensure its new ER is state-of-the-art.
Today, five members of Township Council (myself, Mayor Alberts, and Councillors Fox, Ward, and Vickberg--the other four couldn't get away to come)--toured Langley Memorial Hospital and met with senior Fraser Health Authority staff and LMH medical staff on some of the issues around the hospital. They are in the midst of putting together a site developmental plan, and, interestingly, working to reform the LMH Foundation to be more of a fundraising source, much like Abbotsford, Surrey and elsewhere.
Clearly the funding model for hospitals has changed to include more dollars from foundations. The Surrey and Abbotsford foundations are raising $15 million and $7.5 million, respectively, to ensure that their hospitals are "state-of-the-art." I guess this leads me into a few questions:
- Are we doing enough as a community in Langley to support our hospital? Am I doing enough?
- Why have I been approached by the Abbotsford and Surrey hospital foundations for support, and not heard from Langley?
- Is the provincial government (of which I am obviously a well-known supporter) sufficiently funding these hospitals?
- Are foundations raising money for core equipment ("must-haves") or for extras (the "nice-to-haves")?
- Shouldn't every hospital be "state-of-the-art"? Or just the ones who have foundations busily raising money?
LMH's needs are relatively modest in the whole scheme of health care in the region--an extra anastheologist, five more (funded) maternity beds, a reconfigured/expanded space for emergency and radiology, and a new facility for ambulatory care.
I like the idea of communities supporting their hospitals through foundations, and when the LMH Foundation launches their next campaign, I'll be glad to help. But I want to believe that the core needs of these hospitals are being funded through our tax dollars, and that this fundraising isn't for life and death items, but for the extras that make health care service better.
Thoughts? I'd be especially interested in what those of you who work within the foundation or health care system think...