KGH Foundation gets record setting gift

Photo: Contributed - KGH

Hybrid OR

​The Kelowna General Hospital foundation has been given a big boost thanks to a $3 million gift from an anonymous donor.

The donation is the single largest in the KGH Foundation’s history, and has put the foundation well on their way to achieving their Be a Lifesaver Capital Campaign goal of $12 million.

The single gift accounts for three quarters of the $4 million needed to equip the most advanced operating room in BC’s Interior, the Hybrid OR, which is a top priority for the fundraising campaign.

“This gift is truly transformational and we are very grateful for the community’s belief and trust in our role to support world class health care here in the Okanagan” says Doug Rankmore, CEO of the KGH Foundation. “And while I wish I could say we achieved our fundraising goal, there is still a ways to go. Equipment needed in the Hybrid OR will not be provided through government funding, but we are confident the community will provide the support to make this significant advancement a reality.”

The goal is to have the cash in hand when KGH's newest building, the Interior Heart & Surgical Centre, opens in the spring of 2015.

The building will be the home of 15 state-of-the-art operating rooms, two of which will be purpose-built cardiac surgical rooms. The largest and most advanced will be the Hybrid OR.

 The Hybrid OR combines traditional surgery with advanced minimally invasive procedures (small incisions under the guidance of sophisticated 3D live diagnostic imaging) allowing vascular and cardiac surgeons to combine traditional and modern surgical procedures once unimaginable.

“Having a Hybrid OR means we will be able to treat very complicated elective, emergency and trauma patients at KGH, saving many lives with world class techniques, right here at home,” says Dr. Pasenau, Head of Vascular Surgery at Kelowna General Hospital. “We have a very busy vascular program, and the Hybrid OR will provide us with an equivalent program when compared to Vancouver and Victoria. That will have a huge impact on patient care within the Interior of BC.”

Be a Lifesaver’s mission is to ensure the Interior Heart & Surgical Centre opens fully outfitted with the critical state-of-the-art equipment and support it needs to improve and save lives. Due to the impact the Hybrid OR will have, it is a top priority for the Be a Lifesaver Capital Campaign.  

Any one wishing to contribute to the campaign can visit www.bealifesaver.net.