North Shore residents are opening not just their hearts, but also their wallets and their storage cupboards in the fight against COVID-19.
In just one week, an emergency COVID-19 fund set up to ensure Lions Gate Hospital has crucial supplies has raised approximately $640,000.
Even more impressive is that the hospital foundation has already spent that money on equipment, including seven new ventilators, 13 vital sign monitors and 50 temporal thermometers – which measure body temperature quickly by scanning the forehead.
“We’ve never seen anything like it before,” said Judy Savage, chair of the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation, of the overwhelming response to the launch of the emergency fund. “I think it shows the concern that people have for the hospital and our front-line workers.”
Just this week, the Nanji Family Foundation also announced it will match every donation received by the response fund up to a maximum of $100,000.
While the fund was kick-started with three large donations from West Vancouver philanthropist Paul Myers, Bruce and Diana Chan and one anonymous donor, Savage said many smaller donations of $20, $50 and $100 have been contributed online. “At least half have never made a donation to the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation before,” she said.
Lions Gate Hospital is one of 17 designated COVID-19 hospitals in the province and the COVID-19 unit on the hospital’s second floor is already running. Staff who work with coronavirus patients are assigned only to that one area, to minimize the spread of infection.
On Friday, health officials who have been scrambling to put plans in place for a potential larger-scale COVID-19 outbreak in B.C. say the province’s health-care system has the ability to manage.
Modelling so far shows the trajectory of the coronavirus outbreak in B.C. is closest to that of South Korea, which is good news for health-care officials
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But health officials are also planning for a worst-case scenario, such as that seen in northern Italy. Even in that case, B.C. does have the capacity to care for COVID-19 patients, said Health Minister Adrian Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s chief medical health officer. But it would require significant efforts, including moving patients who don’t require critical care out of hospitals.
Making an early decision to cancel elective surgeries and free up as many acute-care beds as possible has been key to preparations, said Dix.
Lions Gate Hospital currently has 25 ventilators, with seven more now on order.
Currently there are 457 adult critical care ventilators available in B.C. hospitals, including 348 at the 17 large hospitals where most COVID-19 patients are expected to be treated.
There are between 1,200 and 1,300 ventilators in the province as a whole, but some of those are required for other patients.
There are currently 228 intensive care beds at the 17 designated COVID-19 hospitals, plus another 113 beds that could be added at those sites for a total of 341 critical care beds at those hospitals. That number could be expanded in a worst-case scenario.
Meanwhile, the hospital foundation has also been co-ordinating a flood of donated supplies from organizations ranging from Capilano University, Windsor Plywood, Sinclair Dental and several North Vancouver school parent advisory councils who dug into their earthquake preparedness supplies.
So far the hospital foundation has received about 7,000 N95 masks, 4,000 surgical masks, 100 pairs of medical goggles and 85 boxes of gloves, said Savage. Pure Pharmacy also donated 15 gallons of hand sanitizer.
The hospital foundation is also working with local hotels and rental agencies to provide short-term accommodation for frontline medical staff who either don’t live on the North Shore or need to live separately from their families while they are potentially being exposed to patients with coronavirus.
With help from donated mattresses, the hospital foundation board room has temporarily been converted into a sleep room, added Savage, where staff can retreat for a rest. “It’s very intense at the hospital,” she said. “Staff are working flat out.”
