Healthcare in the Cowichan Valley just got better thanks to generous donations from the Lake Cowichan Forest Cooperative and Qala:yit Forestry to help purchase medical equipment for the new hospital.
The presentation of a combined total of $250,000 was presented at the BC Forest Discovery Centre in Duncan which was attended by representatives from several dignitaries; including representatives from provincial and municipal government, local First Nations, and community members.
CDHF board chair David Robertson says the donations already received have been generous and it shows what a community can do when they’re united for one cause, and that is to improve healthcare.
“Cowichan Lake Community Forest Cooperative, is the real driving force behind this donation, suggest people pooling together and working together and I think this is an example of it,” he says.
Photo credit: Justin Baumgardner, VistaRadio
Robertson says so far, they’ve raised a significant amount of funds for the hospital before any matching from Jim Pattison.
“Without matching, I think we’ve raised roughly $14 million,” he says. “A portion of that will be matched.”
He adds the money will be distributed to purchase equipment that won’t be included in the hospital’s budget.
“We’re working to identify which items of equipment, particularly the higher end and more specialized equipment, that isn’t in their budget or destined to be provided,” he says. “We want to use this money to provide it.”
Two hundred thousand dollars was contributed by the Cowichan Lake Community Forest Cooperative with the other $50,000 donated by Qala:yit Forestry and will be doubled by Jim Pattison to bring the total donated to half a million dollars.
