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– In parallel with National Volunteer Week, the Victoria Hospitals Foundation (VHF) is honoured to be the recipient of a generous $250,000 pledge made by the Victoria General Hospital (VGH) Auxiliary, an organization staffed entirely by member volunteers. The two-year pledge will support the Foundation’s $11 million Imaging is Power campaign, and specifically two new MRI machines for VGH. “Our members are generous with their time, forward thinking, and have a huge passion for the patient and staff experience—that is why it was critical we support the Victoria Hospitals Foundation’s imaging campaign, and all the good it will do for caregivers and patients alike,” says Cindy McInnes, President of the Victoria General Hospital Auxiliary. “This pledge is a true gift from the community: our volunteers who give of their time of course, but also every visitor that has supported our gift shop. The teddy bear you bought, may have just helped fund new MRI technology for VGH—thank you.” The VGH Auxiliary has been supporting the hospital since 1982 through several initiative, including its in-hospital gift shop and its holiday Poinsettias for Patients campaign that supported the Victoria Hospitals Foundation in the past. The group has over 70 member volunteers, including three active members who have been volunteering for 42 years. With the Auxiliary’s pledge, VHF’s Imaging is Power is now approaching the $9 million milestone of the $11 million goal. The campaign is modernizing six imaging machines for Royal Jubilee Hospital and VGH. This includes two new MRI machines at VGH that will be refurbished using first-in-Canada innovation, providing sharper scans and supporting wait times. Installation for the MRIs is starting this Spring. “The strongest hospitals across the country have the strongest philanthropy surrounding them—and the strongest volunteers supporting them,” says Alec McKay, Director of Development, Victoria Hospitals Foundation. “We extend our sincere thanks to the VGH Auxiliary and its members for trusting in our vision, and for creating a legacy of advanced care within Vancouver Island’s largest hospital.” VGH is Vancouver Island’s referral centre for trauma, pediatrics, maternity, and neurosciences. Every day, major trauma and stroke patients, women experiencing high-risk pregnancies, and critically ill children from across Vancouver Island are transferred to VGH by helicopter or ambulance for the highest level of care. In nearly every case, imaging is the first step in the patient’s journey. “As a care provider, imaging is as close to a crystal ball as we’ll ever have in medicine. New MRI machines for VGH will empower our care teams to do the right things for the right reasons,” says Dr. Hayley Bos, VGH Medical Director and Medical Director of Maternity for Island Health. “Thank you to the VGH Auxiliary, and donors to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation, for catalyzing power imaging tools for Vancouver Islanders—it will make all the difference.”

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