Latest / Your Estate Matters / Episode 48 - How Philanthropy is Shaping the Future of Lionsgate Hospital with Louise Campbell

Transcript

Episode 48 - How Philanthropy is Shaping the Future of Lionsgate Hospital with Louise Campbell · Your Estate Matters

0:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Hello, and welcome to your estate matters with your hosts, my colleague Greg Bernand, and myself Nicole Garton of Heritage Trust.
0:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Your estate matters is a podcast dedicated to everything a state, including building and preserving your legacy.
0:16
[SPEAKER_00]: If it's a state related, we'll be talking about it.
0:19
[SPEAKER_00]: We're having the conversations today that will help Canadians protect their families, their assets, and their legacies tomorrow.
0:33
[SPEAKER_02]: With us today on your estate matters is Louise Campbell who serves as the vice president of the Lionsgate Hospital Foundation in North Vancouver, British Columbia.
0:42
[SPEAKER_02]: With the career spanning two decades in health care philanthropy, she has been instrumental in advancing the Foundation's mission to enhance patient care and medical services at Lionsgate Hospital.
0:53
[SPEAKER_02]: In her leadership role, Louise has overseen several significant fundraising initiatives.
0:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Notably, she played a pivotal part in the Foundation's ambitious campaign that successfully raised one hundred million dollars over the twenty-three months to fund the construction of a new six-story one hundred-nate, bad acute care facility tower.
1:11
[SPEAKER_02]: The state of the art facility aims to provide patients with increased privacy and improved recovery environments, reflecting Campbell's commitment to patient-centered care.
1:21
[SPEAKER_02]: Beyond large-scale projects, Louise actively engages with the community to foster a culture of giving.
1:27
[SPEAKER_02]: She has initiated programs like the Christmas caring tree, collaborating with local schools to involve students and fundraising efforts, and to educate them about the importance of philanthropy.
1:37
[SPEAKER_02]: Additionally, she represents landscape hospital foundation of various community events such as the Golden Top Front Raising Concert.
1:45
[SPEAKER_02]: She highlighted the foundation's work, accepted donations to support advancements in radiotherapy technology.
1:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Louise also contributes to the North Shore Hospice and palliative care project, and as a member of its steering committee, she's working to improve end-of-life care services in the region.
2:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Her dedication to healthcare, philanthropy, and community involvement continues to make significant impact on the North Shore's medical landscape.
2:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Louise, can you start by sharing a bit about your background and how you got into healthcare philanthropy?
2:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I was fortunate that I was able to use my political science degree from UVIC while I was working on the Hill in Ottawa for the Minister of Health for a couple of years.
2:28
[SPEAKER_01]: And then when I came back to Vancouver and a job at a communications agency, one of my first clients was the Muscular Distifu Association of Canada.
2:39
[SPEAKER_01]: And after a couple of years of agency work I went to the UK,
2:43
[SPEAKER_01]: I worked at Penguin Books, but I also worked at the Royal Hospital for Nero Disability in London, which I helped rebrand from the Victorian era name of the Royal Hospital for incurables.
2:56
[SPEAKER_01]: And after eight years in London, I moved back to Vancouver with husband and baby and after starting a local neighborhood newspaper and dabbling in some retail communications while my kids were young.
3:07
[SPEAKER_01]: a friend who volunteered with the LGH Foundation Golf Committee.
3:11
[SPEAKER_01]: It suggested I speak to them because they had a job that was perfect for me.
3:17
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's turned out to be absolutely perfect because this job truly feeds my soul.
3:22
[SPEAKER_01]: It combines my need for my work to have a positive impact on people and brings together all of my skills and experience in communications.
3:32
[SPEAKER_01]: I can't tell you enough that I actually love my job.
3:35
[SPEAKER_01]: It doesn't feel like work.
3:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I get to spread the word about something and passionate about which is local health care here.
3:42
[SPEAKER_02]: Amazing.
3:43
[SPEAKER_02]: For listeners who may not be familiar, can you give us an overview of the Lionsgate Hospital Foundation and its mission and role of plays and to its serves?
3:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Sure, so LGH Foundation advances the quality and accessibility of health care on the North Shore through community-driven support for state-of-the-art medical solutions.
4:05
[SPEAKER_01]: It essentially means we enhance and save lives by improving patient outcomes through community donations.
4:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Also, by funding the latest medical equipment and facilities, we can help attract and retain the best physicians and staff to give the best possible care.
4:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Everyone wants to work somewhere that shiny and new and using the latest tech, and we know that there are staffing shortages in healthcare at the moment.
4:35
[SPEAKER_01]: LGH itself, as I mentioned, is on the North Shore, but it's not just for people who live in North and West Vancouver.
4:42
[SPEAKER_01]: We serve people all along the sea to sky corridor, so squamish, all the way up to Pemberton, and the sunshine coast, sea shell, Gibson's up to Powell River, plus Bella Bella and Bella Kula.
4:57
[SPEAKER_00]: So what makes lines get hospital unique within a larger healthcare system and BC?
5:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, because we cover such a large region where unique and that we actually have patients from both rural and urban areas.
5:10
[SPEAKER_01]: So that makes us a unique hospital here.
5:13
[SPEAKER_01]: We're actually the fourth biggest hospital in the Lower Mainland.
5:18
[SPEAKER_01]: And we're one of only five neurosurgical centers in BC.
5:22
[SPEAKER_01]: We have a regional advanced stroke center, a neonatal intensive care unit, a level three trauma center in our emergency department.
5:31
[SPEAKER_01]: and as well community oncology clinic, we have patients coming from Burnaby, New West, all across Metro Vancouver.
5:39
[SPEAKER_02]: Right, so you and your team recently completed an extraordinary fundraising campaign, raising a hundred million dollars, just twenty three months.
5:48
[SPEAKER_02]: Can you tell us about that campaign and what it's supported and what it's meant for the community?
5:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, for sure.
5:54
[SPEAKER_01]: It's the historic campaign for Lionsgate Hospital Foundation.
5:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Everyone had been thinking for many years about a new tower here on our campus and all myers.
6:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Twenty five million dollar donation gave us the opportunity to do it earlier and better.
6:11
[SPEAKER_01]: We were able to control to a degree the timing and the quality of the project.
6:15
[SPEAKER_01]: It actually put us to the forefront of the government's lines so to speak.
6:20
[SPEAKER_01]: So it made our case more compelling.
6:23
[SPEAKER_01]: with the limited government budget dollars available.
6:26
[SPEAKER_01]: We're competing against all the other hospitals in the region, of course, right?
6:30
[SPEAKER_01]: So Paul's exceptional gift inspired others to give as well.
6:34
[SPEAKER_01]: So we actually celebrated the opening of the new Paul Myers Tower on March first, and we had close to six hundred donors in attendance.
6:44
[SPEAKER_01]: It was a day filled with pride and smiles for all who contributed to this great achievement, all six thousand six hundred donors.
6:52
[SPEAKER_01]: And as with all events, of course, us the organizers had our heads and the event details in the lead up to the actual opening day.
7:00
[SPEAKER_01]: And then when people showed up, they said, wow, this is an amazing facility.
7:05
[SPEAKER_01]: And you know what they were right.
7:06
[SPEAKER_01]: And it took that moment for us to realize how actually amazing it truly is.
7:12
[SPEAKER_00]: So what were some of the challenges of pulling off such an ambitious campaign and what do you think made it so successful?
7:19
[SPEAKER_01]: One of the biggest challenges was just an equal to sheer number of a hundred million dollars a bigger campaign and we've ever done before in the history of the foundation knowing it was one donation at a time that was going to get us there was daunting to begin with.
7:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Another challenge was maintaining the momentum of the campaign, always finding new things to talk about, and actually convincing people that this big project would happen, that we really could raise the money and make it happen.
7:51
[SPEAKER_01]: In terms of what made it a success, we had plenty of naming opportunities in terms of room naming, so we named ORs, we named patient rooms,
8:03
[SPEAKER_01]: we named the building after Paul, but this allowed us to put recognition plaques outside of the rooms and it really seemed to motivate for those who are motivated by recognition, it motivated them to feel comfortable giving us some of those larger donations.
8:22
[SPEAKER_01]: The fact that Paul Myers himself, just him being his a humble person, he will say, I'm just a plumber.
8:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I think maybe some people paid more attention to the campaign in a way that they might not have otherwise because of him.
8:38
[SPEAKER_01]: I remember being with him doing some media when we were first launching the campaign and CBC was interviewing him and he literally said on camera, I'm just a plumber.
8:47
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think that endeared people to the campaign.
8:50
[SPEAKER_01]: We also had a very supportive board and a very key campaign committee of volunteers.
8:58
[SPEAKER_01]: They all helped us immensely.
8:59
[SPEAKER_01]: They had connections and the networking help for share.
9:02
[SPEAKER_01]: They opened some doors that we probably wouldn't otherwise have had access to.
9:08
[SPEAKER_02]: So in the Paul Myers that opened in March, this acute care tower.
9:12
[SPEAKER_02]: Could you describe how it's improving patient care on the North Shore?
9:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
9:18
[SPEAKER_01]: So this new tower.
9:20
[SPEAKER_01]: is quiet and it's spacious and it's so unlike the we call it the South Tower not the old tower the existing tower that was built in the nineteen sixties.
9:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Every single aspect of the three inpatient floors is conducive to patient recovery.
9:37
[SPEAKER_01]: We're not talking about four beds in a room at single patient rooms only each with their own washroom.
9:43
[SPEAKER_01]: From the technology the color schemes to the layout and design.
9:48
[SPEAKER_01]: It's all about
9:49
[SPEAKER_01]: healing and patient recovery.
9:51
[SPEAKER_01]: For example, every patient room has a big window ensuring lots of natural daylight for healing.
9:58
[SPEAKER_01]: We have a hands-free Vosera communication system, which means no overhead call bells and bedside patient calling system for immediate patient nurse communication.
10:11
[SPEAKER_01]: There's pull-out couches in every room and they encourage family members to stay over with patients.
10:18
[SPEAKER_01]: There is even hotel like safe and every room, so patients can lock up their valuables and not be stressed at all about security.
10:27
[SPEAKER_01]: In each of the hundred and eight patient rooms and the wide corridors that have elbows to put in the dirty laundry carts and such, there's no clutter.
10:37
[SPEAKER_01]: So patients can get up and practice walking easily and it just motivates them and encourages that road to recovery.
10:45
[SPEAKER_00]: So sounds amazing.
10:47
[SPEAKER_00]: So landscape hospital foundation has deeper its in the community.
10:51
[SPEAKER_00]: How do you engage local residents, businesses and schools and supporting the hospital?
10:55
[SPEAKER_01]: So one thing we do is we invite everyone to participate in events for holding in support of the hospitals.
11:02
[SPEAKER_01]: So we have a golf tournament and a gala and many foundations do.
11:07
[SPEAKER_01]: But our biggest community engagement fundraiser is our five kilometer walk-a-fong along the West Vancouver Seawall.
11:14
[SPEAKER_01]: And it costs just twenty-five dollars for anyone to participate.
11:17
[SPEAKER_01]: So there's no barrier to participation, basically.
11:21
[SPEAKER_01]: We also have lots of fundraisers in the community.
11:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Our residents are so generous with this.
11:26
[SPEAKER_01]: There's Donut and other sales outside grocery stores in the community centers.
11:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Our youth committee recently hosted a grad dress fashion show for secondary students, which was quite unique.
11:39
[SPEAKER_01]: And we also have a Christmas card contest for all the students across the North Shore, I think you mentioned, which is a great way for us to engage youth.
11:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And next year we'll be hosting for the first time a lunar new year celebration at the community center and everyone will be welcome to that.
11:57
[SPEAKER_01]: We also put ads and local newspapers to promote various things and online.
12:03
[SPEAKER_01]: We do maillings during the year to households with information about the foundation or impact how donations are making a difference.
12:14
[SPEAKER_01]: We also offer everyone the opportunity to get involved through our fifty-fifty draw and our last jackpot was a record hundred and thirty thousand dollars.
12:23
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's going well.
12:25
[SPEAKER_02]: How important are your grassroots donations?
12:28
[SPEAKER_02]: The smaller heartfelt gifts alongside the major philanthropic contributions.
12:33
[SPEAKER_01]: They're absolutely critical to us.
12:36
[SPEAKER_01]: We always say that every donation of every size counts and
12:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Blindsgate Hospital is the hospital for here.
12:45
[SPEAKER_01]: That's our branding.
12:46
[SPEAKER_01]: We are the hospital for the North Shore.
12:49
[SPEAKER_01]: We're here for our whole community and it's important for everyone to feel part of it.
12:54
[SPEAKER_01]: That's why while we celebrate Paul Myers for his twenty five million dollar donation, we also celebrate the other over six thousand people who made a donation to our new medical and surgical center.
13:06
[SPEAKER_01]: It all adds up and it all makes a difference.
13:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And I just want to mention that some of our most generous donors started with smaller gifts.
13:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Then we build trust with them.
13:18
[SPEAKER_01]: They see our impact and they feel comfortable to give more.
13:21
[SPEAKER_01]: So I look back in our records actually and Paul Meyer started with a fifty dollar donation way back in the early two thousands and then he attended our Gala.
13:32
[SPEAKER_01]: And he continued to give and his latest amazing gift was twenty five million.
13:37
[SPEAKER_01]: So donations can start small if people have capacity and get larger, but we are just grateful for every donation, honestly.
13:45
[SPEAKER_00]: So what are some of the current priorities and campaigns that you're focusing on?
13:50
[SPEAKER_01]: So currently we're focused on raising funds to build a new inpatient rehabilitation unit on the fifth lower of LGH.
13:58
[SPEAKER_01]: It's going to provide support for stroke patients and those dealing with other neurological disorders from trauma injuries.
14:07
[SPEAKER_01]: We have a lot of biking accidents here and as well as anyone who's had a long stay in the ICU.
14:14
[SPEAKER_01]: This new unit is going to have twenty five beds.
14:18
[SPEAKER_01]: It's going to have a dining room, various public areas and perhaps most importantly a dedicated gym that's kitted out with the latest high tech equipment.
14:28
[SPEAKER_01]: The best practices for stroke patients to receive acute rehab within fourteen days for the best outcomes long term.
14:36
[SPEAKER_01]: And this new unit is going to bring together all of our physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, nurses, doctors, all specializing in rehab into one place.
14:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Currently, they are located in a couple of locations throughout our campus.
14:54
[SPEAKER_01]: So having everyone in one place is going to significantly help
14:58
[SPEAKER_01]: with ensuring they get the best care and that they no longer have to cross the bridge to GF strong.
15:04
[SPEAKER_01]: That's a huge impediment to furthering outcomes and it tires our patients.
15:09
[SPEAKER_01]: So if they can get this kind of specialized care close to home, you're on the North Shore.
15:14
[SPEAKER_01]: It's going to make a real difference.
15:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Now you've talked about some of the new services.
15:18
[SPEAKER_02]: You've been fortunate enough to include in the hospital like the inpatient care and the specialty gyms.
15:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Are there any other innovations?
15:27
[SPEAKER_02]: that the new tower will be able to provide for North Shore doctors that perhaps were limited to practicing in the North Shore.
15:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, we actually just secured our first piece of robotic surgical equipment for neurosurgery.
15:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And we're the first hospital in BC to be using it.
15:44
[SPEAKER_01]: This is located in one of the eight new ORs in the poll Myers tower.
15:50
[SPEAKER_01]: So our physicians
15:51
[SPEAKER_01]: Our surgeons are extremely excited about this and so are we.
15:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Robotics are the future of surgery and many aspects of health care and now we're looking to fund another robot for more general surgery in the near future.
16:08
[SPEAKER_00]: So how can individuals or families contribute so is it lifetime gifts is it memorial gifts are ongoing?
16:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so there's a variety of ways people can make a difference here at Lionsgate.
16:21
[SPEAKER_01]: So contributions can be made.
16:23
[SPEAKER_01]: We call them through one time donation or just a straight donation.
16:26
[SPEAKER_01]: These can be made through our website.
16:28
[SPEAKER_01]: You can make the gift online or mail in a check.
16:31
[SPEAKER_01]: We can provide a letter of direction for stock gift or gift of securities.
16:35
[SPEAKER_01]: These are growing in popularity.
16:37
[SPEAKER_01]: So there's a straight donation.
16:39
[SPEAKER_01]: You can sign up as a monthly donor for recurring gift.
16:43
[SPEAKER_01]: And for this little is twenty dollars per month.
16:46
[SPEAKER_01]: You can end up contributing two hundred and forty dollars to the foundation annually and you receive a consolidated tax receipt at the end of the year.
16:54
[SPEAKER_01]: We accept tribute donations in honor of a loved one and it's easy to set up a tribute online to direct donations to LGH for larger gifts.
17:05
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd like to mention we're also happy to discuss a pledge schedule whereby the donor makes a commitment.
17:10
[SPEAKER_01]: to a series of donations that are made over the next few years.
17:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Planed giving is a big part of our donations.
17:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Many of our listeners are thinking about there is state plans and legacy giving.
17:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Can you explain what a plan gift is and why it can be so impactful for a hospital foundation?
17:31
[SPEAKER_01]: So a plan gift is a donation that's arranged now, but allocated at a future date.
17:37
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's a gift in your will designated to a cause that you care about and it can have potential tax advantages as well.
17:45
[SPEAKER_01]: A future gift can help shape the future, basically.
17:50
[SPEAKER_01]: For example, a gift in your will to LGH can help shape the future of healthcare on the North Shore and ensure that the continuation of funding for critical medical equipment and facilities will continue to be available for future generations to come.
18:09
[SPEAKER_00]: So what kind of legacy gifts might make a big difference for the Foundation's long-term goals?
18:14
[SPEAKER_01]: So what's important to us is that we gain an understanding of the donor's interest and intentions.
18:20
[SPEAKER_01]: essentially what's near and dear to their heart.
18:23
[SPEAKER_01]: We would be honored to know about anyone intending to make a gift in their will to blindsgate hospital in reality.
18:29
[SPEAKER_01]: We only know about one in four requests that are made to us.
18:35
[SPEAKER_01]: And once we know about it, we can speak to the donor about potential designation to a specific area of care to ensure we fulfill their wishes when the time comes.
18:46
[SPEAKER_01]: If there's no specific intentions associated with the gift in a will, the gift will be used where it's needed the most to support the most pressing healthcare priorities in our community at that time, and we generally call that our area of greatest need.
19:01
[SPEAKER_01]: So, and answer to your question, I'd suggest an unrestricted gift in a will can most closely align with the Foundation's long term goals, because it would be used in accordance with the Foundation's priorities at that time.
19:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Now, you're working with the owners to ensure their gifts reflect their values and wishes.
19:20
[SPEAKER_02]: That is more in their lifetime because, of course, you can approach the general gift.
19:26
[SPEAKER_02]: And there's two really types of gifts we're speaking about when it comes from wills.
19:30
[SPEAKER_02]: The specific amount, dollar amount, and then sometimes you're the residual.
19:34
[SPEAKER_02]: beneficiary, which could be the whole state could be fifty percent, thirty percent.
19:39
[SPEAKER_02]: And they often consult you about the programs they want to contribute to at that time or specific things.
19:47
[SPEAKER_02]: Because often a family member suffered, you know, some medical issue.
19:51
[SPEAKER_02]: And it's to cancer or to heart or to specific asthma, something like that.
19:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
19:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
19:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
19:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
19:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
19:59
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's all about communication.
20:02
[SPEAKER_01]: for us in terms of fulfilling wishes and ensuring gifts for like values.
20:08
[SPEAKER_01]: So we appreciate knowing about a gift someone is making in their will.
20:12
[SPEAKER_01]: So first and foremost, we can thank them.
20:14
[SPEAKER_01]: And like you say, we can learn about a potential designation.
20:17
[SPEAKER_01]: So we can make it happen.
20:20
[SPEAKER_01]: The other thing is
20:22
[SPEAKER_01]: We like to understand their wishes around recognition.
20:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Some people are motivated by it, as I mentioned before, and some people are not at all.
20:30
[SPEAKER_01]: And to your point about designation and areas of interest, one of the things we always do is we talk about our future fundraising plans and the projects that are in the pipeline and how these will impact the communities.
20:42
[SPEAKER_01]: So this gives our donor something to focus on.
20:45
[SPEAKER_01]: and a sense of security that their donation will be put to good use on the North Shore.
20:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd also just like to mention that all donors who live a gift in their will to Lionsgate Hospital become a member of our legacy society and we keep these folks updated on our progress and our plans through a special annual newsletter just for them.
21:07
[SPEAKER_01]: We also invite them to exclusive gatherings where they can connect with fellow donors
21:13
[SPEAKER_01]: a favorite of many of them is our animal Christmas tea and legacy society members are also recognized on our special legacy donor wall if they wish and your point about that amount or percentage of an estate those types of legacy gifts we encourage our donors to speak
21:32
[SPEAKER_01]: to people like you, legal, financial advisors, to choose the best type of gift that's best for them.
21:39
[SPEAKER_00]: So we hear the term transformational gifts in philanthropy and certainly it sounds like hallmires absolutely made a transformational gift.
21:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Can you tell us about some other gifts, maybe the hope center or other gifts that have made a significant difference in the future of the hospital?
21:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, for sure.
21:59
[SPEAKER_01]: So like you said, there's the twenty five million dollar gift.
22:02
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a two million dollar gift that can fund a robot and impact hundreds of patients a year through that.
22:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Or it can be even a hundred thousand dollar matching donation.
22:15
[SPEAKER_01]: We had one of those that kicked off our gala funda cause a couple of weeks ago.
22:20
[SPEAKER_01]: And that quickly turned into three hundred thousand dollars.
22:26
[SPEAKER_01]: or a specialized treadmill for the rehab unit I mentioned.
22:30
[SPEAKER_01]: So I guess I'm saying a transformational gift can take many forms and it can impact patients or inspiration for other donors.
22:42
[SPEAKER_01]: It can have an impact in many ways.
22:44
[SPEAKER_02]: So can that be for the smaller donors, which are very important?
22:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Are they ever able to, or do you have gift planning where it's matched by
22:55
[SPEAKER_02]: another anonymous donor or a foundation or a charitable foundation that's saying, you know, if you can raise this amount in this time, will match it?
23:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Does that come about where somebody giving fifty dollars it becomes, you know, two hundred or five hundred?
23:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
23:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
23:13
[SPEAKER_01]: And these matching gifts have become quite popular in recent years, but I remember a few years ago before they really became the big thing, a local fireplace business.
23:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Valor fireplace is one to make a five thousand dollar donation and I encourage them to allow us to leverage it as a matching gift to raise ten thousand dollars in ten hours and that's how we build it in our e-blast to our donors.
23:39
[SPEAKER_01]: It was completely online and we promoted it over the ten hours and ended up raising seventy seven thousand dollars for a new MRI which is coming next June so
23:51
[SPEAKER_01]: a five thousand dollar donation quickly turned into a seventy seven thousand dollar donation.
23:56
[SPEAKER_01]: So absolutely.
23:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes.
23:58
[SPEAKER_00]: That's amazing.
24:00
[SPEAKER_00]: From your perspective, how is healthcare philanthropy evolving in BC across Canada?
24:05
[SPEAKER_01]: I think more and more there's a reliance on community fund raising.
24:10
[SPEAKER_01]: For example, through the foundation our community raised
24:14
[SPEAKER_01]: a total of a hundred and twenty-seven million for the Paul Meyers Tower building and the technology in it, which was about a third of the cost.
24:23
[SPEAKER_01]: The ten million dollars for a new high-cute unit, which opened a few years ago, was one hundred percent funded by our community here on the North Shore and beyond.
24:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I see this reliance only growing as a demand for healthcare resources continues to increase, meeting improvements, and government budgets remain limited.
24:46
[SPEAKER_02]: Beyond financial contributions, what are some ways people can get involved in supporting landscape hospital?
24:52
[SPEAKER_01]: As an on-profit, we very much rely on volunteerism to fulfill our mission and ensure our success.
24:59
[SPEAKER_01]: We have close to three hundred regular volunteers on board from our board and standing committee members to event committees for golf and gala and our regular office volunteers.
25:11
[SPEAKER_01]: So volunteers, we're always looking for volunteers.
25:15
[SPEAKER_01]: We also have a robust healing power of art program with a thousand works now valued at close to three million dollars.
25:23
[SPEAKER_01]: And we're always accepting donations of art from artists, but also collectors, many of whom are downsizing.
25:29
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's a couple of ways people can get involved.
25:32
[SPEAKER_02]: Are there upcoming events or volunteer opportunities or campaigns that you'd like to highlight?
25:38
[SPEAKER_01]: For sure, yes.
25:39
[SPEAKER_01]: So we have our golf tournaments on August eighteenth, a couple on golf and country club.
25:44
[SPEAKER_01]: We definitely need volunteers for that and people are welcome to join in.
25:49
[SPEAKER_01]: We also have the step up walkathon on October fifth on the West Vancouver sea wall that's coming up and we do need volunteers for that and we really hope that everyone on the North Shore will participate and come out and step up for LGH.
26:04
[SPEAKER_00]: So what do you see as the biggest opportunities and challenges for Lionsgate Hospital in the next five to ten years?
26:11
[SPEAKER_01]: So one of the biggest opportunities is in technology, I think.
26:15
[SPEAKER_01]: So the foundation has the ability to support our staff and their work so that they can work smarter and not necessarily harder, which may not be a government priority over urgently needed life-saving equipment, but we're nimble.
26:32
[SPEAKER_01]: And we can act quickly to raise money required.
26:36
[SPEAKER_01]: This is good for improving patient care and the working environment for our staff.
26:41
[SPEAKER_01]: One of our biggest challenges continues to be letting people know that their hospital needs their help.
26:49
[SPEAKER_01]: When I crunch the figures only about five percent of people on the North Shore actually donate to LGH Foundation.
26:56
[SPEAKER_01]: As I said, I was born at LGH.
26:58
[SPEAKER_01]: I grew up on the North Shore and I lived here as an adult.
27:02
[SPEAKER_01]: But it wasn't until I actually started working at LGH Foundation that I realized the government doesn't pay for everything within these four walls.
27:11
[SPEAKER_01]: A real challenge for us is a constant need to engage people and widening our engagement to include all parts of our community, including new arrivals, to the North Shore, young families, and youth.
27:25
[SPEAKER_01]: And of course, we like all charities are always challenged with economic uncertainty.
27:31
[SPEAKER_01]: We compete with it, which is out of our control, but it's unfortunately quite rampant right now.
27:38
[SPEAKER_02]: And I would say the need, especially for the North Shore, the population of the C-discay corridor has probably increased a hundred thousand over the last.
27:48
[SPEAKER_02]: Twenty-five years.
27:50
[SPEAKER_02]: So it's nice to see these additional surgical units.
27:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Obviously, we live on the North Shore.
27:55
[SPEAKER_02]: So in case it is running, another interesting thing we were at another evening, and they had mentioned AI starting to come in strongly into the perhaps surgeries or modeling.
28:09
[SPEAKER_02]: What's your experience with that in the foundation so far?
28:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I think most of them, a lot of the technology that we have purchased for the Paul Myers tower has AI in it.
28:21
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I don't want to speak out of turn here because I'm not medical in any way, but we have some new automatic vital signs monitoring equipment, which must have AI in it.
28:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I can only imagine because it
28:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Instead of nurse going in every four hours or six hours or whatever the order is from the physician to take blood pressure and oxygen levels and such, this is all done automatically now.
28:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And if it dips, if blood pressure, all of a sudden drops, the nurse is notified.
28:55
[SPEAKER_01]: So there's amazing technology going on.
28:58
[SPEAKER_01]: I know with radiology, there are major developments.
29:03
[SPEAKER_01]: I know with endoscopy,
29:05
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a lot of computerized AI equipment that is more accurate than the human eye to detect certain anomalies and people's anatomy in their intestines and things.
29:18
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think it's a huge part of healthcare right now and it's only going to grow.
29:25
[SPEAKER_00]: So for someone listening today who wants to help improve healthcare on the North Shore, how can they get started?
29:31
[SPEAKER_01]: That I'd suggest they think about giving to Lionsgate Hospital Foundation.
29:35
[SPEAKER_01]: We support Lionsgate Hospital, but also all of the publicly funded healthcare facilities across the North Shore.
29:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I mentioned we're raising funds for a new rehab unit, but if there's another area of healthcare close to somebody's heart, they should know that we have close to fifty different designated funds covering all the hospitals, departments, and programs.
29:58
[SPEAKER_01]: including hospice, mental health, you mentioned the hope center in a coal, long-term care facilities across the North Shore, Berkeley Care Center, Cedarview, et cetera.
30:07
[SPEAKER_01]: And then once they've thought about it, going online, giving us a call, make your first donation or volunteer or contact your legal or financial advisor about a planned legacy gift.
30:19
[SPEAKER_01]: And think about joining your friends and neighbors in making LGH the best it can be.
30:25
[SPEAKER_01]: I should also mention that one hundred percent of donations go to LGH.
30:32
[SPEAKER_01]: The reality is our investment income covers fundraising and administrative costs.
30:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Louise, does there anything else that you'd like to share either about the hospital, the community or the power of giving before we wrap up?
30:46
[SPEAKER_01]: I just want to say to each one of us has the ability to make a difference.
30:50
[SPEAKER_01]: And when we come together,
30:52
[SPEAKER_01]: great things can happen.
30:54
[SPEAKER_01]: And I really saw it happen with the Paul Myers tower in this amazing new state of the art facility here on the North Shore that is miles ahead of anything else in Western Canada right now.
31:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Great, any funnel words of inspiration or audience?
31:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Just a hospital is here for all of us.
31:15
[SPEAKER_01]: And we need to cherish it.
31:16
[SPEAKER_01]: We need to nourish it.
31:18
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's the best it can be.
31:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Just in case we need it.
31:22
[SPEAKER_01]: And I hope we never need it, but just in case we do.
31:26
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, thank you so much, Louise, for your time.
31:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you.
31:30
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31:37
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31:45
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31:48
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31:52
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31:58
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32:03
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32:17
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