The community in and around Kelowna helped raise over $600K for Kelowna General Hospital during its recent holiday campaign.
The strong show of support from the community over the holiday season will help improve programs, services, and facilities at Kelowna General Hospital. The KGH Foundation’s Gift of Hope campaign raised $673,149 and received 1,019 donations. The money will help pay for translation services, a new rehabilitation program, and much-needed upgrades to the family waiting rooms in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.
KGH Foundation CEO Allison Young said that the strong support and donations from the community show how thankful people are for the hospital staff and the care they provide. Every donation will help people in the region who are facing health challenges. Almost one-third of the funds raised will support the expansion of JoeAnna’s House by adding 10 new rooms for out-of-town families as a place to stay while their loved ones receive treatment at the hospital. The hospital also plans to renovate the ICU family waiting rooms to make them more peaceful and private for families during difficult times.
The money raised will also be used to upgrade furniture, flooring, lighting, paint, artwork, and more in the ICU. KGH has also recently added clinical iPads and will add more to help with translation services and break down language barriers. Some of the funding will also support the Harmonicas for Health (and Happiness) program, which teaches participants how to control their breathing and strengthen their lungs through harmonica lessons.
Part of the money will also go toward the hospital’s Area of Greatest Need fund, which helps the charity quickly respond to urgent needs such as equipment problems, sudden medical demands, wildfires, or global health emergencies.
