The Whistler Health Care Foundation (WHCF) and its corridor partners this week launched a campaign to raise up to $2 million to help pay for the Sea to Sky corridor's first Computerized Tomography (CT) scanner at the Whistler Health Care Centre (WHCC).
In June, the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA) board approved the siting of the advanced diagnostic machinery in Whistler. 樱桃视频General Hospital officials had also sought to have the CT scanner placed there.
The decision came with the proviso that the Whistler, 樱桃视频and Pemberton health care foundations, along with the Sea to Sky Regional Hospital District (RHD) raised the approximately $2 million to cover the capital costs for the machinery and necessary WHCC facility upgrades.
VCHA officials have committed to pay for operation and maintenance on the new machinery beginning in April 2008.
Marnie Simon, WHCF chair, said officials here are hoping to have raised enough of the money by next summer to make the WHCC upgrades and have the machinery up and running in time for the beginning of the 2007-08 ski season. If that were to occur, local officials would have to pay for the machine's operating and maintenance costs between next fall and April 2008.
Of the $2 million, the RHD board - made up of officials from Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton and Squamish-Lillooet Regional District areas C and D - have agreed to cover up to 40 per cent of the capital costs for the project, or some $800,000. The WHCF has committed $100,000 and the 樱桃视频Health Care Foundation $30,000.
Simon said campaign organizers hope to raise significantly more than the approximately $800,000 that's required, which would reduce the amount being sought from the RHD.
The Whistler Blackcomb Foundation (WBF) recently committed $275,000 to the project, representing the proceeds for this year's Founders' Pass program. Simon welcomed the WBF donation as a good way to kick off the public phase of the fundraising campaign.
"The Whistler Blackcomb Foundation is thrilled to support this very important addition to the Whistler Health Care Centre. Improving health care in our local communities is a high priority for us and we are pleased to be one of the founding supporters," said Mei McCurdy, WBF executive director.
Simon said that in the past few months, the total projected cost of the project has actually decreased, to $1.8 million. It's estimated that it would cost an additional $200,000 to operate the machinery between next fall and April 2008, she said.
"The funding partners - the Regional Hospital District and the three foundations - advanced $15,000 for a cost analysis by Vancouver Coastal, which came in at the figure that we've projected of $1.8 million," she said.
She said the machinery will cost an estimated $1 million, with the facility upgrades coming in at between $700,000 and $800,000. A contingency fund has been built into the budget to cover any construction cost increases, she said. The project will be managed by a steering committee consisting of the funding partners and VCHA officials.
