2010 COMMUNITY REPORT
Joseph & Rosalie Segal Celebrated VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation presented our Leadership Award to Joseph and Rosalie at the Night of a Thousand Stars Gala on November 19th. The award is presented annually to an individual or family for their exemplary philanthropic leadership.
VGH stands out with specialized care
The Segals, both individually and together, have received many of Canada’s most distinguished accolades and citations in recognition of their decades of outstanding contributions to numerous humanitarian endeavours, educational institutions, health care organizations and cultural and religious groups. The Foundation proudly bestowed our highest honour on them. The Segals’ visionary support of excellence in research, patient care, and equipment for many areas of our hospitals including Cardiology, Spinal Cord Research, and the Men’s Health Initiative of BC is evidence of their longstanding commitment to world-class health care in British Columbia. Most recently, that support has extended to also include substantial support to improve care for people with mental health conditions.
Just days before being celebrated as VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation’s Leadership Award winners, Rosalie and Joseph Segal (pictured above) added to their already-generous giving with a $12 million donation in support of a new Mental Health Pavilion at VGH.
True champions of social responsibility, they are greatly admired and respected members of the community, modeling the way for others.
New centre: a good news story for mental health care
There’s something special about VGH. Actually, there are many things that are special about it. At VGH, healthcare teams treat almost every imaginable illness and condition. VGH is the hospital doctors around the province consult with or refer patients to when treatment or surgery is needed for serious situations such as stroke, complex cancers, traumatic spine injuries, or major burns, to name a few. As a patient, your journey may start in Cranbrook, Prince George or Nanaimo, but it will lead to VGH if super-specialized medical treatment is required. Over 40 per cent of those cared for at VGH come from outside the Vancouver region.
The Northeast Mental Health Centre on Hastings, near Renfrew Street opened in 2009. The multidisciplinary healthcare teams based at the Centre help individuals and families every day.
“My name is Dylan and because of the help I got at the Northeast Mental Health Centre, I’ve got a good news story to tell. Until I was in Grade 11, I was an outgoing honour roll student. When school started the next year, I wasn’t sure why, but I changed; I checked out, started skipping class and even quit band, which I loved. I didn’t know what was happening to me. A school counselor referred me to experts at Northeast Mental Health. I was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and encouraged to attend the Early Psychosis Intervention Program. With medication and therapy, I returned to school and graduated with my friends. Now, my family and I have the information and support we need to help with my illness. I don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t gone to the Centre.” A spectrum of programs is offered at Northeast Mental Health. The Centre’s team is comprised of nurses, doctors, social workers, occupational therapists, vocational counselors, peer support
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Delivering the best of health to British Columbians
workers and more. They treat and assist multigenerations of families with illnesses such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. An average of 70 people of all ages visit daily.
One of the team’s goals is to decrease chronic tendencies associated with mental health issues through early care and intervention. This preventative approach identifies and treats illness before patients’ diseases progress to the point that they need acute psychiatric care. Because of the care that mental health experts there provide, it’s anticipated that at VGH-alone there will be 2,000 fewer visits to the hospital’s Emergency Department annually. The Centre is good news for the whole neighborhood, the city and the province.
VGH, and affiliates UBC Hospital and GF Strong Rehab Centre, helps thousands of adult patients annually. And, Vancouver’s Community Health Services delivers exceptional health-care services outside hospital walls, complementing treatment provided there. People in British Columbia can take comfort in knowing that high-calibre care is available for them and their loved ones when needed. We hope the stories in the 2010 edition of VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation’s Community Report resonate with you. If they do, we encourage you to support our health care teams so they can continue to provide world-class health care. Thank you,
Ron Dumouchelle President and CEO VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation