7 O’clock Cheer Pale Ale release from Steamworks

In partnership with Steamworks Brewing Company, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation is proud to announce the release of 7 O’clock Cheer Pale Ale, inspired by the city’s unwavering show of support for front line workers every evening at 7 p.m.

This aptly named ale is brewed by B.C. for B.C., with local ingredients and materials generously donated by Gambrinus Malting, Hops Connect, and Westkey Graphics. 100% of net proceeds will be donated to support health care teams and researchers in their efforts to treat and cure COVID-19.

“We are thrilled to partner with Steamworks Brewing on their 7 O’clock Cheer Pale Ale,” says Angela Chapman, President & CEO, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. “Our health care workers are facing an unprecedented situation. While we’re tasked with staying home, they are staying at work for all of us, and our community’s show of support, including the 7 p.m. nightly cheer for our health care workers, has been inspiring for us all to keep moving forward in this fight. This collaboration highlights our heightened appreciation of community. Proceeds from this beer will support our COVID-19 Funds, providing supplies and support to our healthcare workers and funding research. I think we can all raise a glass to our health care workers and to the fight to beat COVID-19.”

By following social distancing recommendations and regulations set out by government agencies, Steamworks has been able to continue production at their Burnaby brewery, ensuring members of their team can safely bring craft beer to the shelves of local B.C. stores and retailers.

“Each one of us at Steamworks, along with our supplier partners, feel very fortunate at this time for our health care system and dedicated health care professionals working to flatten the curve in B.C.”, says Eli Gershkovitch, CEO and Founder of Steamworks Brewing Company. “We all want to give back what we can to make sure those on the front lines receive as much support from the community as possible. We are doing our part by continuing to do what we do best, which is making craft beer, and ask you to join us in raising a collective cheer for all those who are putting their health and safety on the line for us.”

7 O’clock Cheer Pale Ale will be available for purchase at participating liquor retail stores.

Learn more about our COVID-19 Response and Research Funds.

Yaletown’s Balcony DJ turns nightly set into a fundraiser for Sheway

It was a sunny Wednesday in the second week of Vancouver’s COVID-19 shut down when Neky Mahmud pulled his turntables out to his balcony and launched into a feel-good set inspired by the incredible outpouring of support for the front line workers in his community.

“The seven o’clock cheer was the highlight of my day, so I thought, why not bring my turntables out and give some positive vibes.”

DJ’ing professionally for over a decade, Neky wanted to get back to sharing his love for music with others. Energized by the positive spirit of the nightly cheer, Neky started performing a 30-minute DJ set of upbeat tunes, at first from his balcony before moving inside to his den so that he can stream his beats live on his Instagram, @nekythekid, for anyone to join in.

Dubbed the Balcony DJ, the community embraced Neky’s nightly shows and he started receiving messages of thanks as people from around Vancouver tuned in. A highlight was a message from a nurse thanking him for providing a bit of an escape when she needed it most.

“I was giving back as far as my time and my craft, but I really wanted to translate that into something for the good of the community.”

Neky decided to host an event to raise money for Sheway, an innovative and culturally sensitive pregnancy outreach program in the Downtown Eastside that supports women struggling with substance use issues and overwhelmed by hardship. Neky explains that he was raised by several strong women and he admires his wife as a strong, independent woman who is breaking barriers. He feels he really understands and appreciates a woman’s worth and wanted to celebrate that with his fundraising event, donating 100% of the profits to Sheway.

“I grew up seeing the dynamic roles that women take on in the home and in the community at large. I wanted to use my platform to raise funds for an important initiative and Sheway was a great fit.”

His event, A Woman’s Worth, showcased musical mixes throughout the week curated by women who have inspired Neky, culminating in two hour-long sets Saturday, May 2nd and Sunday May 3rd that played requests by donation. Requests were submitted by making a donation and posting a screenshot in Instastory, tagging @nekythekid.

The event raised a total of $6,100 for Sheway.

VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation is a long-time supporter of Sheway. Donations will support Sheway’s vital work providing access via more than 1500 drop-in visits a month to nutrition support, social work, counseling, infant development, family support workers and other resources for women in Vancouver.

Learn more about how you can create your own virtual fundraising event to support health care in BC.

VGH to pilot new AI model to help diagnose and better treat COVID-19

Radiologists at VGH, UBC Hospital and the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) are leading an international study to better predict the presence of COVID-19 based on CT scans, aiming to unlock faster diagnosis and treatments of infected patients.

“Everyone in BC is doing what it takes to protect our families, our elders, our health care workers and our communities,” says Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “I’m proud of the work that physicians and researchers in British Columbia are leading in our global fight against COVID-19.”

Radiologists, fellows, residents and UBC medical students are collecting, analyzing and labelling thousands of CT scans and in some cases chest X-rays, from COVID-19 patients within VGH and around the globe, including Canada, the Middle East, South Korea, and Italy.

Information gleaned from the scans will form the basis for an open source artificial intelligence (AI) model to predict the presence, severity and complications of COVID-19 on CT scans.

The model will integrate clinical data to help support and supplement existing tools to improve patient care.

For example, it could help physicians determine whether individuals are best treated at home or whether they may require hospitalization/ventilation. It will not replace current testing.

“The model will also assist in detecting similarities and differences in variations of patterns across different cultural and ethnic groups, and help us understand early and late stages of patterns of disease,” says Dr. Kendall Ho, VGH emergency physician and Academic Director, UBC Cloud Innovation Centre.

It could also help flag those who may ultimately develop permanent lung damage/fibrosis.

“We know the lungs of COVID-19 patients are white and hazy, like a white-out or blizzard,” says Dr. Savvas Nicolaou, Director of Emergency and Trauma Radiology at VGH. “Currently, we can’t predict disease severity and its clinical impact in different patient populations. We’re confident this new tool will help us do that.”

Dr. Nicolaou is leading the project with Dr. William Parker, a radiology resident at VGH/UBC.

Once developed, the new AI model will be piloted at Vancouver General Hospital with an aim to embedding it in routine diagnostic procedures to improve the accuracy of COVID-19 diagnostics.

“We’ve seen patients present in the emergency department with non-typical symptoms such as severe abdominal pain, stroke and acute chest pain, and upon reviewing their CT scans for those conditions, we see the telltale haziness of COVID-19 in their lungs,” says Dr. Nicolaou.

Thanks to donor support, VGH clinical staff have access to state-of-the-art technology, including CT scanners, to provide the patients of BC with the highest quality of care.

Learn more about the impact your gifts can make to transform health care in BC.

STAY HOME Box Program launched in partnership with SPUD

SPUD, an online grocery delivery service based out of Western Canada has launched a new STAY HOME box program. Announced earlier this month in Calgary and Vancouver, this first-of-its-kind delivery platform is a reliable food source and ensures seamless grocery delivery during these uncertain times. A portion of the proceeds from every STAY HOME box sold provides free or discounted boxes to front-line workers, at-risk community members and the charities that support them.

Starting this week SPUD is excited to announce the partnership with VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. This partnership will provide the front-line workers of Vancouver Coastal Health access to fresh groceries delivered to their door.

“Our health care workers are facing an unprecedented situation. This partnership with SPUD, and thanks to our donors, is one way we can support our front-line health care workers and ensure that they keep themselves, their families and patients safe and cared for,” says Angela Chapman, President & CEO, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. “While we’re tasked with staying home, they are staying at work for all of us. We are so grateful for this unique partnership to express our gratitude and support for our health care heroes.”

“Our health care heroes are uniquely skilled to serve us as we face COVID-19. They have stepped forward and are risking their well-being to protect ours,” says Stuart and Della McLaughlin. “We stand behind them by applauding their bravery each evening at 7:00 p.m. but also feel the need to do much more. If we can save them precious moments to provide support at home, we will help in any way. With the SPUD STAY HOME Program we can eliminate the additional stress and exposure of grocery lines. It’s just another way to say ‘Thank You’ to these heroes for their continual selfless efforts.”

The first box to launch was the #WeApplaud Box, which comes filled with a predetermined assortment of healthy and essential grocery items, made up of fresh produce and non-perishables. Additional boxes that recently launched include: a pantry box, a produce box and snack box. Currently, product supply varies from week to week, so to ensure a complete order, SPUD will select product brands based on what is in stock to best represent each item listed in the box.

“We are excited to announce this partnership with VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation as it allows us to help these incredible front-line workers who need access to fresh food,” states Peter Van Stolk, CEO of SPUD. “This program embodies our mission to be part of the solution and is the first of its kind in Canada. The program will subsidize essential food boxes to front-line workers which helps them go home after a long day of supporting us, and also members of our communities who are at risk and may not be able to leave their homes. We realize that many members of our community are in the front line of this pandemic and we are extremely proud to work alongside the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation during this challenging period as they support health care workers across Metro Vancouver.”

SPUD has already seen an increase in demand from the COVID-19 pandemic. With the implementation of the STAY HOME program, which created new jobs, SPUD has deployed over a 100 new delivery trucks on the road in both Calgary and Vancouver. While many Canadians are facing job loss, this initiative is helping not only front line workers get safe access to essential food items, but it’s keeping more people employed, specifically those in the hospitality industry.

Front-line workers and organizations that support at-risk community members interested in utilizing this service are encouraged to please reach out and sign up for the program via stayathome@spud.ca. Once qualified, SPUD will distribute coupon codes used to place orders for discounted boxes.

For more information on the SPUD HOME box program, including how to donate visit https://stayathome.spud.ca.

Free boxes for health care staff will be provided with donations to our COVID-19 Response Fund. Learn more and donate today.

Uniting across the country in the battle against COVID-19

The fight against COVID-19 rages on as our health care heroes remain strong on the front lines, caring for our most vulnerable patients and risking their safety to selflessly help our communities.

In response, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation has partnered with 100 hospital foundations across the country to help launch The Frontline Fund — a way for all Canadians to help support front line health care workers across the country with the supplies, supports and research funding they need to fight this pandemic.

“The defence against COVID-19 continues to rest on the shoulders of our front line health care workers: the nurses, doctors, caregivers and support workers in our hospitals and long-term care homes. Our researchers offer us an offensive line to win the fight against this novel virus,” says Angela Chapman, President & CEO, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. “In long-term care homes, the emergency department, ICUs, and research labs, many are working tirelessly to care for the vulnerable and for the sick, while others seek to find an effective treatment and develop a vaccine. In this fight, these are our heroes. They are here fighting for us. We can be there for them.”

During this unprecedented time, hospital workers across the country are shouldering the pressure of COVID-19. The Frontline Fund will directly provide relief to these caregivers through three key pillars.

1. Supplies: This includes personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, disinfectants, and disposable clothing; life-saving ventilators and testing equipment; and digital infrastructure to enable virtual patient care.
2. Supports: Peer-to-peer mental health support, hotel rooms near the hospitals to help front line workers protect their families, get much needed rest, and prepare themselves for the effort ahead; gift cards, etc.
3. Research: Hospitals need funding to conduct vital research like clinical drug trials to discover therapeutic breakthroughs and intense vaccine development efforts.

“VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation is proud to join efforts with hospital foundation across Canada to advance the goals of this national campaign. We are grateful to the founding Frontline Fund partners for gifts of $8.5 million launching the campaign,” says Chapman. “These funds will support front line health care workers with supplies and supports, and fund critical research, connecting the best minds across Canada with their global counterparts.”

VGH and UBC Hospital continue to be global leaders in research of COVID-19, trialing new options for treatments and preventative measures against the disease. Donations empower these researchers and other across the country to sustain and accelerate their goals.

These donors include Maple Leaf Foods with a donation of $2.5 million, Lead Financial Institution donor TD Bank Group with a donation of $1 million, and the CMA Foundation with a donation of $5 million.

“Our governments are doing everything they can to help, but they can’t do it alone,” says Michael McCain, CEO of Maple Leaf Foods. “Our health care workers are not just on the front lines — they are the last line of defence against COVID-19 and without them, we are hopeless. We need to do everything we can to support them right now.”

The Frontline Fund has partnered with CanadaHelps.org to make it easy and efficient for Canadians to get involved. All donations from individuals will flow through Canada Helps and be aggregated so that funds given remain in the province of the donor. Individuals and corporations can donate to The Frontline Fund by visiting FrontlineFund.ca. The first round of fund disbursements will take place on April 30, 2020.

Engage with people across the nation on social media using hashtag #CoverUs, follow the account on Twitter at @frontline_fund, Instagram @the_frontline_fund, and Facebook at /TheFrontlineFund.

Surviving as an
immuno-compromised
patient during COVID-19

In the ICU with Dr. Hussein Kanji

Dr. Hussein Kanji is the Medical Director of the High Acuity Unit at VGH, the largest, most specialized hospital in BC and the number one adult health care referral centre. His vital work has been saving thousands of patients every year, including Nick Kanaan.

Let’s meet him.

Where did you grow up?
Calgary, Alberta.

How long have you worked at VGH?
I completed my fellowship here in 2013 and then started working as an attending physician in 2015.

Why are you so passionate about ECMO?
How can you not be excited about a life-saving therapy we can institute at the bedside when all else fails? All joking aside, it’s an evolving technology that allows us to use every tool we have in our arsenal to give someone the best shot when there are often no more options. In order for this to work it takes the concerted effort of a team from start to finish, and I am proud to say that the team including the nurses, respiratory therapists, perfusionists, physiotherapists, pharmacists and dieticians at VGH are the best I have ever worked with. It’s the reason we are able to continue to grow and excel in this program.

What do you like most about your job?
Making a real difference. I know that the work we are collectively doing is important and significant. If someone is in ICU, it is undeniably the worst day for them and their loved one’s life. It is such a privilege to be part of this time, where so little can mean so much. Time has become a currency, and at the end of the day, it is the most meaningful thing you can give someone.

What first interested you in this area of health care?
When I first started learning about the human body in biology, the more I learned the more I realized the less I knew, and this fascinated and excited me, and pushed me to keep learning. To this day I am in awe of the human body, how it works, and I am forever learning.

Tell us one thing (professionally or personally) that we might be surprised to find out about you?
The Great Hussini was my stage name as a magician. I could be seen busking on the streets, conjuring magic, fire and flotation on the big stage. I’ve parked my wand and top hat as of late and the only disappearing I focus on now is my patients’ ailments.

How do you spend your down time?
With my kids either on a bike, on the seawall or on the ski hill. Otherwise, curled up on my favorite chair reading about philosophy or meditation.

What are three things you always have in your fridge?
Humus, sparkling water and some of my mom’s delicious curry.

Who or what inspires you?
I have been lucky to have had so many mentors who have been so brilliant and passionate, but what has stood out for me most is their selflessness. The “greats” in my life are those who have put themselves second to their patients and colleagues. Who cared not to be recognized but who truly were about making their patients better and their units stronger. Through these individuals I have learned that success in the ICU is a function of a strong, cohesive and selfless team I like to call my ICU family.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next 5 years?
To focus on being the best human I can be. To me that means first being the best dad I can be, to serve my patients in the best way I can, and to continue to help develop programs that make real change. I love to watch the discipline of critical care push boundaries and hope to support its continued growth at all levels.

Help provide ECMO devices and other urgently needed medical equipment. Donate now.

After VGH saved his life, Garry Walker is giving back

One day, Garry Walker noticed he was so weak he couldn’t climb the stairs from his building’s parking garage to his office anymore.

Anxious about what this decline in his health could mean, he went to his family doctor, Dr. John Mail. Garry’s fears were realized when he was diagnosed with aplastic anemia – a rare blood disorder in which his body’s bone marrow wasn’t creating enough new blood cells. Garry was quickly admitted to VGH and quarantined for six days in the Leukemia Bone Marrow Transplant (L/BMT) unit.

“These were six of the most harrowing days of my life,” says Garry. “Only my doctors and my wife, Pat, could visit. I was so sick from the medications and tests, and all I wanted was to get better and go home.”

Happily, Garry’s story ended well.

“Thanks to the incredible doctors, nurses and medical staff, and my wife’s love and support, I’m walking and lifting weights again,” says Garry. “VGH saved my life.”

Inspired by the need to give back, Garry and Pat reached out to VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. They decided to help support the future of health care by including a gift in their will to the Foundation.

“We know that the BC Government funds day-to-day operations, but medicine is changing so fast that donor dollars are needed to ensure that the hospitals and staff continue to have access to the best equipment, innovation, technology and training possible,” says Garry.

Join the Walker family and learn how your gift today will make a difference in the lives and communities of tomorrow. Learn more at old.vghfoundation.ca/legacy 

Father saved battling cystic fibrosis

COVID-19 Response Fund established to support health care workers during global health pandemic

Donations surpassing $400,000 from Metro Vancouver’s Chinese-Canadian community are being used to jumpstart VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund, providing relief for health care workers on the frontlines 

Vancouver, BC – As the public exercises caution and maintains social distance, health care workers continue to leave their homes to work in the hospitals and health care facilities in order to care for vulnerable patients.

To support these health care heroes VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation has established the COVID-19 Response Fund, and Metro Vancouver’s Chinese-Canadian community has already stepped up and generously donated more than $400,000 and counting.

“B.C.’s health care heroes are risking their health and safety every day to care for all of us during this global health pandemic,” says Angela Chapman, President & CEO of VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. “They are there for us. Now we need to be there for them. Donations to the COVID-19 Response Fund ensures the doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and other staff all have the support they need, when they need it.”

The COVID-19 Response Fund is designed to be flexible to allow rapid deployment of funding to support thousands of health care workers across Vancouver Coastal Health facilities and community.

Leading donations include $100,000 from An Soon Unity Trust, presented by Sandra Lau on behalf of her family, as well as donations from the Vancouver Chinese-Canadian Golf Association & Members, the Haihe Fellowship Association, and two anonymous donors.

“It is heart-warming to see such incredible acts of solidarity, to witness our Vancouver community pulling together. We are giving each other, and particularly all our health care workers on the frontline of this pandemic, the courage we need to get through this challenging time,” says Chapman. “The decisions and actions we are taking as individuals today can save lives. Our health care partners — the health care heroes — are counting on your support.”

The Foundation is encouraging cash donations, but if you are interested in providing donations of supplies please visit vch.ca/donate for more information on current needs.

To donate, visit old.vghfoundation.ca/covid-19-response

Mrs. Sandra Lau represents “An Soon Unity Trust”, her family foundation, for a donation of $100,000 towards the COVID-19 Response Fund

The Vancouver Chinese-Canadian Golf Clubs Association representatives donated $74,000 in support of the COVID-19 Response Fund