The Delta Hospital Foundation celebrated a record donation Wednesday toward its ambitious capital campaign to expand the laboratory and diagnostic imaging departments.
A large crowd of supporters and others, including provincial Health Minister Terry Lake, were on hand for the celebration of the $2.5 million donation by the Toigo family to move the project closer to its fundraising goal.
The single biggest donation ever for the Delta Hospital Foundation, the Toigo family's Shato Holdings Ltd. provided the generous gift for the new hospital wing, which the foundation announced will be named the Peter C. and Elizabeth Toigo Diagnostic Services Building.
Lake announced the provincial government has formally approved the expansion.
Ron Toigo, who was in attendance with his mother Elizabeth, talked about how his late father moved to Delta in 1964 and how the family understands the importance of the hospital for the community.
He said his mother decided the project was very important to her, as it became for the rest of the family, when they learned more about it.
The Toigo donation is part of a $7.5 million fundraising campaign by the foundation, the biggest it has ever undertaken. Fraser Health has agreed to pick up the rest of the estimated $12.5 million cost. The foundation still has about $1 million to go to reach its target.
Part of the hospital's long-term master plan, the expansion would see the medical imaging and laboratory medicine departments facilitate an additional 32,000 patients annually.
"We are very grateful for the generosity of the Toigo family and Shato Holdings Ltd. and its commitment to support community health care," said Delta Hospital Foundation chair Allan Baydala.
He noted that since 2003, Shato Holdings and the Toigo family have given over $2.75 million to the Delta Hospital Foundation to support various projects.
Michael Marchbank, who was appointed CEO of Fraser Health this January, said the expansion and improvement of diagnostic services at Delta Hospital will ensure medical staff can deliver the very best in care and ensure patients are receiving faster and more precise diagnosis and treatment.
Thanking the Toigo family on behalf of Premier Christy Clark, Lake told the audience the project is an example of the work going on across the province to increase efficiency, reduce impacts on hospitals and ensure the very best patient care.
"We know that we need to look after a growing and aging population. We need to provide health care that is not only responsive but is efficient," Lake said.
"One of the things we strive to do in British Columbia is observe the Institute for Health Care Improvement three tenants, which is improved health outcomes for patients, improved population health and value for money. We need to optimize resources to make health care sustainable because, we know, all across Canada, you can't continue to increase health care costs six, seven or eight per cent every year; it simply isn't sustainable," he added.
The capital campaign has received generous contributions from other community members as well, such as the Delta Hospital Auxiliary, but foundation executive director Veronica Carroll said the Toigo donation should help build momentum as they turn to the community to help raise the remaining $1 million.
Since 1988, the foundation has raised over $30 million.
The goal is to have the new two-storey wing built in 2018.
