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Critical care improvements make the list with Greater Victoria shoppers

Save-On-Foods pledges $300,000 to Victoria Hospitals Foundation’s It’s Critical campaign
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The It’s Critical campaign has raised $5.89 million towards its $7 million goal to expand critical care capacity at Victoria’s Royal Jubilee Hospital. (Black Press Media file photo)

Improving health care for Vancouver Island residents can start with a trip to the grocery store.

Greater Victoria Save-On-Foods stores have pledged $300,000 to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation’s It’s Critical campaign to expand critical care capacity at Royal Jubilee Hospital (RJH). To support this commitment, eight Victoria area Save-On-Foods stores launched Helping Local Hospitals Together, a series of in-store initiatives to raise money for local critical care expansion.

Running until March 17, Save-On-Foods customers at participating stores can donate at the till. If customers are purchasing groceries online they can also donate at victoriahf.ca/help. Donations support critical care equipment and resources that will have an immediate impact in local hospitals’ response to COVID-19, and increase future critical care capacity on the Island.

ALSO READ: New specialized unit opens this fall at Royal Jubilee Hospital

“I am thrilled that our Victoria area stores have pledged to raise $300,000 for the Victoria Hospitals Foundation to better serve patients from all across the Vancouver Island region,” said Save-On-Foods president Darrell Jones. “Our stores have always been the backbone of their communities and I am so proud that these stores have teamed up to provide outstanding service in their communities by supporting the life-changing work of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation.”

Helping Local Hospitals Together will benefit the Victoria Hospitals Foundation’s It’s Critical campaign to help build the Island’s first permanent High Acuity Unit (HAU) at RJH and fund critical care equipment. HAUs are an intermediate level of care for patients recovering from surgery, severe respiratory distress or those being treated for serious medical conditions like COVID-19.

“We’re tremendously grateful for the support of our friends at Save-On-Foods and its customers for supporting this initiative to help our local hospitals. Our community’s generosity will help our doctors, nurses and care teams as they face today’s health-care challenges, and tomorrow’s needs,” says Avery Brohman, executive director of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation.

Over the last 10 years, RJH has seen an 83 per cent increase in admissions to the ICU, and only a 38 per cent increase in bed capacity – our hospitals need more resources to support the increased demand for critical care. Since April 2020 nearly 3,400 community members have donated to It’s Critical, bringing the campaign to $5.89 million of the $7 million goal.

ALSO READ: Save-On-Foods customers raise nearly $50,000 for Victoria hospitals

“We are really excited to partner up to help the Victoria Hospitals Foundation get closer to its goals,” said Save-On-Foods Fort and Foul Bay store manager Lionel Gjerde. “Our customers share our passion for supporting the community and their contributions to our Helping Local Hospitals Together initiatives will change lives.”


 

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