CEO COVID Update: Joint Fundraising with BCWHF

COVID-19

Update: March 29, 2021 – Please note that we are no longer accepting donations to the Rapid Response Fund. Please consider supporting one of our other priority funding areas to help conquer childhood illnesses.

April 23, 2020

Dear Foundation friends,

There is a saying that “a person’s true character is often revealed in times of crisis.” Nowhere has this been more true than in the ways that you, our supporters, have risen up with strength and resolve to help meet the rapidly evolving needs of BC Children’s Hospital. When I think about the immense wave of generosity I’ve seen from so many of our donors, I am unspeakably grateful.

In particular, I am deeply moved by the ways many of you have rallied together to support our newly created Rapid Response Fund. In your selflessness and generosity, you’ve been vital in our efforts to help meet the needs of the healthcare workers, children and families at the hospital who are encountering new challenges brought on by the COVID-19 crisis. Thank you.

I know many of you have asked how our hospital is coping. We recently spoke with one of the hospital’s leaders to learn how her team is responding to new challenges, and the ways your support is helping them do just that.

An inside perspective

As chief medical officer of BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre, Dr. Jana Davidson has witnessed first-hand the incredible ways hospital staff have gone above and beyond to respond to new challenges emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic—and it’s given her hope and inspiration.

From staff who have been exploring every available avenue in procuring essential personal protective equipment, to those working tirelessly—from cleaning crews to kitchen staff to surgeons—in order to protect the health of children at the hospital who are now at greater risk, Dr. Davidson has felt tremendous pride in “how they [the hospital team] have adapted to a rapidly changing environment.”

“Despite their own childcare issues,  the worry about parents, family, and other things they may be facing at this time, our staff have continued to work every day, prepared to help our province,” she says.

She’s seen hope in other ways, too—in how advances in care have arisen due to the pandemic. For example, she has seen a bigger focus placed on providing virtual care, which has expedited progress in the ways the hospital has been able to continue providing essential care to children, while protecting their health through social distancing.

“With this progress we’re starting to see in virtual care, I can envision a future where our healthcare system will be forever changed—in ways benefitting more families from all corners of the province.

“This is just one of the positive outcomes in care that we are beginning to appreciate,” she says.

You are also giving us hope

As Dr. Davidson has noted, our healthcare workers have had to be nimble and innovative in their response to rapidly evolving needs at the hospital. And in turn, so have we.

In response to the emerging need for increased virtual healthcare, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation is partnering with BC Women’s Health Foundation to raise funds for critical Virtual Health Technology.

This new state-of-the-art telecommunications equipment will:

1.  Enable patients with pressing health needs—including children, expectant mothers, and infants—to continue receiving exceptional care from the safety of their own homes, without having to come to the hospital.

2.  Help safeguard across our entire hospital campus the safety of healthcare workers who must stay healthy in order to continue focusing on their first priority: ensuring the best possible care for their patients.

Funds raised through our Rapid Response Fund will be dedicated towards this priority need, as well as the many other needs that have emerged at BC Children’s as a result of COVID-19. Your support continues to strengthen the ability of our healthcare providers to press on in doing what they’ve always done, while preparing them for what lies ahead.

This is just one of the many ways your support is truly making a difference in so many lives. I want to let you know how incredibly grateful we are—and I echo Dr. Davidson when she says, “Thank you for thinking of us, and for your endless generosity and support, which is not only helping the children that we care for, but also our dedicated staff at the hospital.”

Thank you.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Teri Nicholas, MSW
President and CEO
BC Children’s Hospital Foundation