The West Coast General Hospital Auxiliary has donated $150,000 to the Port Alberni-based hospital after a successful year with their Attic Thrift Store and hospital gift shop.
This is the second year in a row that the auxiliary has presented the hospital with a cheque for that amount, auxiliary president Irene Loewen said. Previously they have been able to donate $125,000. The donation represents proceeds from sales at The Attic and the gift shop, which both benefit from volunteer helpers.
“The hospital auxiliary is really important for helping purchase those items that are needed,” WCGH site director Pam Rardon said.
“Hospital equipment is so expensive and getting more so all the time. It benefits our community to have these extra things that make all the difference.”
The hospital has a limited capital budget every year and relies on its partners—such as the hospital auxiliary—to help pay for items its various departments wish they had but cannot pay for from their operating budget.
“It helps us determine what we need in our community, which may be different than in other communities, and it helps prioritize that,” Rardon said.
While the auxiliary makes one large donation every year at this time of year, “all year we’re donating for different things,” Loewen said.
The auxiliary “is always great about helping us fund our pediatric ward. They’ve helped with baby beds in the past,” Rardon added.