BC opens three COVID-19 recovery clinics with the support of philanthropy

Three clinics devoted to helping COVID-19 patients recover from the long-term effects are now open at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), St. Paul’s Hospital (SPH), and the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre in Surrey.

The clinics provide an opportunity for patients to receive specialized care and allow for specialists to further understand the long-term adverse effects of COVID-19. The clinics connect patients with a network of specialists, allied health professionals and subspecialists through a mix of on-site and telehealth-enabled appointments.

Dr. Zachary Schwartz, internist and physician lead of the VGH clinic, says, “We quickly identified the need to learn more about the potential long-term effects of those suffering from COVID-19 in order to provide the support needed to British Columbians. The clinics will offer standardized assessments, education, and opportunities to participate in research studies. The network of clinics will allow us to learn from each other, understand patients’ journeys in more detail, and provide the expert level of care expected.”

Funding for the clinics came from various sources including a generous $75,000 donation from TB Vets Charitable Foundation to support the ongoing post COVID-19 recovery research studies at VGH and St. Paul’s Hospital.

“COVID-19 continues to impact lives globally, and we at TB Vets are honoured to be one of the firsts to support great initiatives such as this. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this research will have on Canadians,” says Kandys Merola, CEO of TB Vets Charitable Foundation

Research is a key component of this network, particularly since the clinics have thus far seen the small percentage of patients who were hospitalized with severe COVID-19. One early joint VGH – SPH – UBC study showing more than half of participants had abnormal breathing tests three months after they first started feeling sick with COVID-19. Further examination with CT scans showed one in five had lung scarring, which is permanent damage that will lead to compromised lung function.

“COVID-19 presents a special opportunity for research — we are leveraging the unprecedented focus on a single threat to bring together investigators and patients, who would otherwise be isolated, to create and mobilize new insights to benefit our community and beyond,” adds Dr. Chris Carlsten, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) Scientific Director of Legacy for Airway Health and professor of medicine and head of the division of respiratory medicine at UBC.

Post-COVID-19 care expertise is also available to medical practitioners around the province, usually within the same day, through the Rapid Access to Consultative Experts phone line. In addition, educational materials are being developed to support patients and physicians.

The clinics are currently seeing COVID-19 patients who are discharged from hospital, as well as those referred by other physicians.

Nancy’s Story

Nancy McKinstry is the definition of self-made success.

As a financial professional, Nancy spent years building her career and helping investment firm Odlum Brown reach great heights as a powerhouse portfolio manager, director and partner.

Nancy was never one to back down from a challenge. So when she retired early at 55 years old, and faced an ovarian cancer diagnosis just one year later, Nancy once again held her head high and pushed into it head-on.

“Ovarian cancer was new to me and my family,” says Nancy. “No friends or relatives have had it. I felt quite alone when I headed in to receive care, and how lucky was I that I received care from OVCARE, one of the top ovarian cancer clinical research centres in the world.”

Nancy had three months of chemotherapy followed by 35 radiation treatments after her total hysterectomy to remove the cancer. She spent 18 months recovering, but through it all she was so impressed with the knowledge and support the OVCARE team gave her, she knew she wanted to give back.

“As a cancer survivor, I have seen firsthand the power of philanthropy in health care, this is why I’m giving back in all the ways I know how. A gift of securities now and in my will is important to me so that advancements keep happening even when I’m not around.”

“The seed was sown at OVCARE,” says Nancy. “I have given back in a few ways including a gift in my will and through gifts of securities. By transferring shares over I was able to give back to support the research that saved my life and that of other women.”

Gifting securities is one of the most tax-effective ways to give, because you benefit from the donation tax credit and the complete elimination of the capital gains tax.

Join donors like Nancy by making a gift of securities to help make a difference for patients, now and into the future. Learn more

From the forest grew a leader

Glen Alexander Patterson was a force of strength and good who was a champion of healthy living and the joys of nature.

Born in Calgary, Alberta in 1921, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II helping train pilots.

While Calgary was his birthplace, it took one visit to Vancouver in 1936 with the Calgary Boys’ Band, where Glen found himself playing his trumpet in the gazebo at English Bay and swimming in the ocean to fall in love with the West Coast.

After the war, he and his high school sweetheart, Isobel, eloped to Vancouver. He soon found himself employed with Canadian Forest Products in the Nimpkish Valley of northern Vancouver Island, a place Glen described as paradise with its snow-capped mountains and lush virgin forests. From this isolated location in Woss Camp, Glen and Isobel lived the quiet life – tending to their garden and occasionally fending off bears – and were blessed with three children, Dennis, Bruce and Sheila.

Although he would spend his career with Canfor helping build that business into the success it is today, Glen’s passion for health would be a driving force in his personal life.

“As a young boy, dad witnessed the decimation of childhood friends in his youth,” says Dennis. “He told us of the shocking death of a beautiful girl classmate from juvenile diabetes, and how he himself suffered from scarlet fever and was grateful to have survived that terrible disease, which killed some of his peers. Thus began a lifetime focused on healthy living, exercise and contributing to improved health services.”

In 1988, Glen was honoured to be appointed to the board of VGH. It was here he helped build the Eye Care Centre on Willow Street, and, per Glen’s insistence, ensured a garden was built on the east side of the clinic.

“Dad had many personal experiences with Vancouver General Hospital and UBC Hospital,” says Dennis. “He suffered a heart attack while at his home in Coal Harbour, and was amazed by the care given to him at the coronary unit, convinced they saved his life. He had hip surgery there to help him continue his active lifestyle, and even went through cancer treatments as well.”

In his final years, Glen moved to Tapestry on the UBC campus. Ever the green thumb, he was an active member of the UBC Botanical Gardens, until finally he went to Centennial Pavilion at VGH where he received compassionate care in his final days.

“His gratitude to VGH and UBC Hospital was boundless,” says Dennis. “This is why he happily left a gift in his will to the hospital. To help those who helped him throughout his life.”

How do legacy gifts help future generations?

Through thoughtful planning, you can help support future generations. By leaving a bequest in your will or designating the Foundation as a beneficiary of your RRSP, RRIF or TFSA – your gift can help our health care teams save lives now and well into the future. Learn more

Can copper help kill viruses on public transit? Donor-funded pilot seeks answer

Virus-killing copper is being installed on high-touch transit surfaces in a test to see how effective these products are at destroying viruses and bacteria on public transit.

The donor-funded pilot project is part of a two-phase study that will install various copper-based products and a protective coating called organosilane on SkyTrain and buses, specifically on two trolley buses and two SkyTrain cars on the Expo and Millennium Lines.

This project is the first of its kind in North America and is the result of a partnership between TransLink, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, Teck Resources Limited (Teck), Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), Coalition for Healthcare Acquired Infection Reduction, and the University of British Columbia.

“Our Foundation plays a vital role in funding innovation through medical research in BC. Donor funding has played a role – here in BC and globally – to accelerate our understanding of the COVID-19 virus and its transmission,” says Angela Chapman, President & CEO, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. “This project will leverage the expertise of Vancouver Coastal Health’s Infection Prevention & Control team to determine the public health benefits of copper in reducing transmission of COVID-19 and other viruses. We are grateful for the partnership of Teck and TransLink to make this very special ‘made in BC’ research project possible.”

The initial phase will run for four weeks and is fully funded by Teck through a donation to VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation as part of its Copper & Health program.

Studies conducted by the Infection Prevention & Control team at VCH that has shown copper to be effective at killing bacteria and is durable over a one-year period. Copper alloy surfaces are naturally antimicrobial with self-sanitizing properties, and recently has shown to destroy up to 99.9 per cent of bacteria and viruses within four hours.

Organosilane is a wipe-on coating that provides long-lasting protection against damaging microbes such as bacteria, mold, mildew and many viruses. When used in tandem with good hygiene and cleaning protocols, copper and organosilanes can help inhibit the buildup and growth of viruses and bacteria.

“This project will increase our understanding of the effectiveness of copper in killing organisms on frequently-touched surfaces,” says Dr. Marthe Kenny Charles, Medical Microbiologist, VCH. “Positive findings will then be used to study the impact of copper on bacteria and viruses such as COVID-19 and norovirus. This holds future infection control benefits not only for the public in their travels but for health care workers and patients who navigate their medical journey at Vancouver Coastal Health and beyond.”

The results of this pilot could have wide-reaching impacts for infection prevention for the transit industry and other industries that rely on shared public spaces.

“We’re proud to be the first transit agency in North America to pilot this industry-leading technology and I look forward to working closely with our project partners,” says Kevin Desmond, CEO, TransLink. “The risk of COVID-19 transmission on transit remains extremely low and this initiative will only bolster our comprehensive cleaning protocols which are already in place. Any findings from this pilot project will be shared with our fellow transit agency colleagues and other industries which may be able to use this emerging technology.”

“We are proud to be working with all the partners on this important pilot project to expand the use of antimicrobial copper in high-traffic public areas and prevent infections,” says Don Lindsay, President and CEO, Teck. “Through the Copper & Health program, Teck has been partnering with health care professionals, academia and others for years to help make communities safer. This pilot builds on those efforts at a critical time as the world works to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

You can fund future innovative research projects like this by making a donation today to VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation.

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Study: Blood type may affect COVID-19 severity

Clinician-scientists at VGH and UBC Hospital have published a study that indicates individuals with blood type O may have lower risk of COVID-19 infection and severe illness, while those with A or AB have had more adverse reactions.

The study found that of 95 patients critically ill with COVID-19, 84 per cent of those with blood type A or AB required mechanical ventilation and had a longer stay in ICU. Compared with patients with blood group O or B, where only 61 per cent required this step and were released sooner.

Data was collected from six Metro Vancouver ICUs, including VGH, between February and April of 2020 and analyzed at UBC, with support from VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation.

“While there is plenty more research required to understand the biological mechanisms underpinning these findings, this is consistent with a Danish study recently published,” says Dr. Mypinder Sekhon, intensive care physician at VGH and an author of the study.

“It’s important to note that considerable additional work needs to be done in this field to understand this observation and individuals should not alter their social distancing behaviours based on blood group. Our society must continue to adhere to the guidelines put forth by the provincial health officer,” adds Dr. Sekhon.

VGH and UBC research impacting treatments

VGH and UBC Hospitals have helped provide several studies on the subject of COVID-19 this year alone.

One of which includes analyzing blood samples of critically ill COVID-19 infected patients to characterize the immune system, allowing physicians to provide optimal care for these patients.

These studies are supported by donors to VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation.

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