Vernon Jubilee Hospital will gain 14 new beds and offer less cramped rooms as part of a project starting in late 2013.

(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)

VERNON - From people donating to ‘light a bulb’ on the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Christmas tree to volunteers selling second hand clothing, the community has come together for health care.

The Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation announced Wednesday, Sept. 23, that enough donations have been received to complete the top two floors of the Polson Tower — a fundraising project that has been years in the making.

“Every donation made an impact in helping us achieve our mission to support health care in the North Okanagan,” campaign co-chair Chris Cunningham said in a media release.

The Building a Tower of Care Campaign was launched in November 2013 and was expected to take three years, but due to the community’s generosity, enough money was raised in just two. 

“Finishing a year early is a testament to the generosity and determination of North Okanagan residents, businesses and organizations. These past two years have been an incredible experience, seeing our community joining together and making positive advancements for our families, our friends and our neighbours,” co-chair Richard Finn said.

Equipment installation and staff training is expected to wrap up in early 2016, with the first patients moved onto the floors at the end of January. The project includes four semi-private and 22 single bedrooms per floor, as well as a family and nursing zone in every room.  Each floor will also feature a Quiet Room, Nourishment Centre, Tub & Shower Room, as well as an Airborne Isolation Room designed to reduce airborne transmitted infections.

The campaign was bolstered by major donations from the Kiwanis Club of Vernon - Four Seasons, whose $250,000 donation resulted in an opportunity to name the sixth floor of the tower. The Armstrong/Spallumcheen Health Care Auxiliary donated $110,000 from proceeds of sales at the Bargain Bin thrift store in Armstrong and the fourth, fifth and sixth annual VJH Foundation Charity Classic events sponsored by TELUS and Predator Ridge Resort raised another $528,780. The Foundation’s Light a Bulb 2013 and 2014 campaigns raised a combined $504,108.

New rooms will help enhance patient experience by providing access to light and views, decreased noise levels, and a family and nursing zone in every room.

Image Credit: Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2015