Why Support VJHF?
We’re bringing excellence to North Okanagan healthcare.
Hospitals and healthcare centres are seeing people on their worst days. They’re seeing our friends and family members in their most vulnerable states, when they’re scared, confused and worried about what will happen next. In that moment our loved ones shouldn’t be wondering if their care providers have the absolute best resources available to provide them with the treatment they need.
When you donate to the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation, you can feel confident knowing that our community’s healthcare facilities are receiving the funding they require to bring comfort and relief during times of need.
Support excellence in our healthcare system
Your impact on the North Okanagan’s healthcare.
We will all face some type of healthcare crisis in our lifetime. In our communities there are family members and friends finding themselves in need of medical care every day. Whether they’re being admitted for urgent needs, undergoing specialized treatments or requiring day-to-day assistance, they want to know that they’re going to be cared for with the best possible resources available. Because of people like you, they will.
Your donations enable us to introduce state-of-the-art programs, training and equipment to the healthcare facilities in our communities so our so our medical teams can continue doing what they do best. While hospitals and community health services receive tremendous assistance from the government, it can’t support every project in the time we need, without additional support. Together with our donors we can accelerate the process of acquiring much-needed resources, helping to ensure your loved ones receive the best possible care when they need it the most.
Your donations make a profound difference in the lives of your neighbours, your friends and family members. Patient-centred and long-term care, community health services, equipment and procedures all rely on the generosity of our community to make lasting improvements to our healthcare services.
Discover what drives us >
Elevate our healthcare experience.
With over 44,000 emergency room treatments, nearly 13,000 surgeries and more than 11,000 people being admitted to beds each year in the North Okanagan, we want to make sure each experience is met with excellence. We work with Interior Health and the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Administration to identify areas where funding is needed most and to help ensure donations are being allocated accordingly to bring them to fruition sooner.
This means that your donations go exactly where they need to be when they’re needed most.
The Gift of Excellence: Electrocardiogram (ECG) Machines
For critical heart attacks, the quickest response is the best. The faster a patient can access the right medical care, the better the projected outcome. In our region, as part of a groundbreaking pilot project between Interior Health and the BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS), every single ambulance in proximity to a heart cath lab is equipped with the devices required to perform tests on patients to determine if their symptoms are due to a heart attack.
Thanks to the kindness of philanthropic individuals, families and organizations from Lake Country, Predator Ridge, Vernon and Armstrong, a total of eight portable electrocardiogram (ECG) machines have been purchased for our region. As a result, the Okanagan Valley is the first area in British Columbia where an ECG machine is readily available to measure electrical activity in the heart for patients experiencing chest pain under the care of a paramedic.
Previously, when patients presented with chest pain, they were brought to VJH where an ECG was performed. If the chest pain was diagnosed as a STEMI – a serious form of heart attack where the coronary artery is blocked and a large part of the heart muscle is unable to receive blood – they were stabilized and transferred to the Cardiac Cath Lab in Kelowna. In a STEMI, the risk of permanent damage is grave. Time is of the essence, and transport of the patient to the most appropriate receiving facility is critical.
With ECG machines in every ambulance and BCEHS providing training to all primary care paramedic crews located within a certain radius to a cath lab, North Okanagan paramedics can now transmit ECG results directly to the hospital where medical teams can conduct preliminary assessments. Paramedics will give advanced notification from the ambulance to the receiving hospitals in order to shorten the time to appropriate treatments. If a STEMI is identified, patients will bypass VJH and be transported directly to the KGH Cardiac Cath Lab, providing expedited treatment and direct access to the appropriate interventions.
Additionally, the new machines also act as advanced vital sign monitors and defibrillators. Paramedics will be conducting ECG tests in the field and will also have the ability to acquire advanced vital signs and perform noninvasive blood pressure monitoring. These tests help paramedics provide the most appropriate care outside the hospital. The test results are immediately transmitted to emergency room physicians who can then establish preliminary diagnoses so that medical teams are more prepared when patients arrive. These machines will benefit every single patient seen by paramedics in our region.
The Gift of Excellence: Urology Cystoscopes
Seven new cystoscopes are now in use at VJH thanks to community members in the North Okanagan who supported the Operation: Surgical Care for Life campaign.
Specialty cystoscopes are used to provide the urologist with a ‘view’ of the genitourinary tract, checking for abnormalities such as bladder tumours, unexplained bleeding, dilation for strictures or other medical reasoning. The image from the camera is displayed on a monitor for the surgeon to work from.
In the past scopes were often large and rigid, frequently resulting in patient discomfort during procedures. However, advances in technology have resulted in improved vision quality, greater precision, increased flexibility and simplicity of use, providing considerable improvements in patient comfort.
These are in high demand: The VJH urology team conducts two clinics and upwards of 60 cystoscopies a week. Due to high usage and the delicate nature of the equipment replacements are required on an ongoing basis. These new scopes were gratefully received by the urology team.
Read more stories about the impact you’ve helped to make a reality >
Give Back to Okanagan Health
Breathe new life into the North Okanagan’s healthcare facilities.
Give for Excellence
Your donations, no matter the size, help to make a significant impact. No matter how you wish to show your support for our community’s facilities, we can help find a method that celebrates your passion for our mission of bringing excellent healthcare to the North Okanagan.
Organize an Event
Is there a cause you are passionate about advancing? We invite you to organize and host your own event to help raise funds for the area of healthcare that matters most to you. Talk to our team about how we can help amplify your event, spread the word and help raise funds for your cause!
Collaborative Business Opportunities
Demonstrate your business’s values and passion for healthcare in our community by partnering with VJHF or sponsoring an upcoming event. We would love to collaborate and elevate the services in the North Okanagan together.
Our Annual Performance
See the difference we’ve made in the North Okanagan.
The evidence of our community’s impact is seen every day through the improvements we’ve been able to implement in our healthcare facilities. To show just how much of a difference our community’s generosity has had, we make our annual reports available online. This way, we can celebrate all of the accomplishments we’ve made together.
Local Community Support
Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation in the media.
We are a close-knit community that loves to celebrate the wins we achieve together. We look forward to opportunities where we can share our milestones and accomplishments with the North Okanagan. And we couldn’t do it without you.
