Episode 48 - How Philanthropy is Shaping the Future of Lionsgate Hospital with Louise Campbell
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In this week's episode, Nicole and Greg welcome Louise Campbell, Vice President of the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation. Louise shares insights into the foundation’s pivotal role in supporting healthcare on the North Shore, including leading a $100 million campaign for the Paul Myers Tower. The discussion covers the impact of community donations, volunteer opportunities, advancements in medical technology, and the importance of legacy giving. Get ready to learn how collective generosity and involvement help ensure quality healthcare for current and future generations!
Nicole 00:00:02 Hello and welcome to Your Estate Matters with my colleague Greg Brennand and myself, Nicole Garton of Heritage Trust.
Greg 00:00:09 Your Estate Matters is a podcast dedicated to everything estates, including building and preserving your legacy.
Nicole 00:00:16 If it's estate related, we'll be talking about it. We're having the conversations today that will help Canadians protect their families, their assets and their legacies tomorrow.
Greg 00:00:33 With us today on Your Estate Matters is Louise Campbell, who serves as the Vice President of the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation in North Vancouver, British Columbia. With a career spanning two decades in health care philanthropy, she has been instrumental in advancing the foundation's mission to enhance patient care and medical services at Lions Gate Hospital. In her leadership role, Louise has overseen several significant fundraising initiatives. Notably, she played a pivotal part in the foundation's ambitious campaign that successfully raised $100 million over the 23 months to fund the construction of a new six story, 108 bed acute care facility tower. The state-of-the-art facility aims to provide patients with increased privacy and improved recovery environments, reflecting Campbell's commitment to patient centered care.
Greg 00:01:21 Beyond large scale projects, Louise actively engages with the community to foster a culture of giving. She has initiated programs like the Christmas Caring Tree, collaborating with local schools to involve students in fundraising efforts and to educate them about the importance of philanthropy. Additionally, she represents Lions Gate Hospital Foundation and various community events such as the Golden Top fundraising concert. She highlighted the foundation's work. Accepted donations to support advancements in radiotherapy technology. Louise also contributes to the North Shore Hospice and Palliative Care Project, and as a member of its steering committee, she's working to improve end of life care services in the region. Her dedication to health care, philanthropy, and community involvement continues to make a significant impact on the North Shore's medical landscape.
Nicole 00:02:34 Louise, can you start by sharing a bit about your background and how you got into health care philanthropy?
Louise 00:02:39 Well, I was fortunate that I was able to use my political science degree from UVic while I was working on The Hill in Ottawa for the Minister of Health for a couple of years.
Louise 00:02:49 And then when I came back to Vancouver and a job at a communications agency, one of my first clients was the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada and after a couple of years of agency work, I went to the UK. I worked at Penguin Books, but I also worked at the Royal Hospital for Neuro Disability in London, which I helped rebrand from the Victorian era name of the Royal Hospital for Incurables. And after eight years in London, I moved back to Vancouver with a husband and baby, and after starting a local neighbourhood newspaper and dabbling in some retail communications while my kids were young. A friend who volunteered with the LDH Foundation Golf committee suggested I speak to them because they had a job that was perfect for me, and it's turned out to be absolutely perfect because this job truly feeds my soul. It combines my need for my work to have a positive impact on people, and brings together all of my skills and experience in communications. I can't tell you enough that I actually love my job. It doesn't feel like work.
Louise 00:03:58 I get to spread the word about something I'm passionate about, which is local health care here.
Nicole 00:04:04 Amazing.
Greg 00:04:04 For our listeners who may not be familiar. Can you give us an overview of the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation and its mission and role it plays and who it serves?
Louise 00:04:13 Sure. So LDH Foundation advances the quality and accessibility of health care on the North Shore through community driven support for state of the art medical solutions, and it essentially means we enhance and save lives by improving patient outcomes through community donations. Also, by funding the latest medical equipment and facilities, we can help attract and retain the best physicians and staff to give the best possible care. Everyone wants to work somewhere that's shiny and new and using the latest tech, and we know that there are staffing shortages in health care at the moment. LG itself, as I mentioned, is on the North Shore. But it's not just for people who live in North and West Vancouver. We serve people all along the Sea to Sky corridor. So Squamish all the way up to Pemberton and the Sunshine Coast, seashell, Gibsons up to Powell River.
Louise 00:05:15 Plus Bella Bella and Bella Coola.
Nicole 00:05:18 So what makes Lions Gate Hospital unique within the larger health care system in B.C.?
Louise 00:05:23 Well, because we cover such a large region, we're unique in that we actually have patients from both rural and urban areas. So that makes us a unique hospital here. We're actually the fourth biggest hospital in the Lower Mainland, and we're one of only five neurosurgical centres in BC. We have a regional advanced Stroke center, a neonatal intensive care unit, a level three trauma center in our emergency department, and as well a community oncology clinic. And we have patients coming from Burnaby, New West, all across Metro Vancouver.
Greg 00:06:00 Right. So you and your team recently completed an extraordinary fundraising campaign, raising $100 million in just 23 months. Can you tell us about that campaign and what it's supported and what it's meant for the community?
Louise 00:06:15 Yes. For sure. It's a historic campaign for Lions Gate Hospital Foundation. Everyone had been thinking for many years about a new tower here on our campus, and Paul Meyer's $25 million donation gave us the opportunity to do it earlier and better
Louise 00:06:32 We were able to control, to a degree, the timing and the quality of the project. It actually put us to the forefront of the government's line, so to speak. So it made our case more compelling. With the limited government budget dollars available, we're competing against all the other hospitals in the region, of course. So Paul's exceptional gift inspired others to give as well. So we actually celebrated the opening of the new Paul Myers Tower on March 1st, and we had close to 600 donors in attendance. It was a day filled with pride and smiles for all who contributed to this great achievement. All 6600 donors. And as with all events, of course us, the organizers had our heads in the event details in the lead up to the actual opening day. And then when people showed up, they said, wow, this is an amazing facility. And you know what? They were right. And it took that moment for us to realize how actually amazing it truly is.
Nicole 00:07:33 So what were some of the challenges of pulling off such an ambitious campaign, and what do you think made it so successful?
Louise 00:07:40 One of the biggest challenges was just the sheer number of $100 million, a bigger campaign than we've ever done before in the history of the foundation.
Louise 00:07:50 Knowing it was one donation at a time that was going to get us there was daunting to begin with. Another challenge was maintaining the momentum of the campaign, always finding new things to talk about, and actually convincing people that this big project would happen, that we really could raise the money and make it happen. In terms of what made it a success. We had plenty of naming opportunities in terms of room naming. So we named ores, we named patient rooms, we named the building after Paul, but this allowed us to put recognition plaques outside of the rooms, and it really seemed to motivate. For those who are motivated by recognition, it motivated them to feel comfortable giving us some of those larger donations. The fact that Paul Meyers himself, just him being he's a humble person, he will say, I'm just a plumber. So I think maybe some people paid more attention to the campaign in a way that they might not have otherwise because of him. I remember being with him doing some media when we were first launching the campaign, and CBC was interviewing him, and he literally said on camera, I'm just a plumber.
Louise 00:09:08 So I think that that endeared people to the campaign. We also had a very supportive board and a very key campaign committee of volunteers. They all helped us immensely. They had connections and the networking helped for sure. They opened some doors that we probably wouldn't otherwise have had access to.
Greg 00:09:29 So in the Paul Myers that opened in March, this acute care tower, could you describe how it's improving patient care on the North Shore?
Louise 00:09:38 Absolutely. So this new tower is quiet and it's spacious, and it's so unlike the we call it the South Tower, not the old tower, the existing tower that was built in the 1960s. Every single aspect of the three inpatient floors is conducive to patient recovery. We're not talking about four beds in a room. It's single patient rooms only, each with their own washroom. From the technology, the colour schemes to the layout and design. It's all about healing and patient recovery. For example, every patient room has a big window ensuring lots of natural daylight for healing. We have a hands free communication system, which means no overhead call bells and bedside patient calling system for immediate patient nurse communication.
Louise 00:10:32 There's pullout couches in every room, and they encourage family members to stay over with patients. There's even hotel like safes in every room, so patients can lock up their valuables and not be stressed at all about security. In each of the 108 patient rooms and the wide corridors that have alcoves to put in the dirty laundry carts and such. There's no clutter so patients can get up and practice walking easily, and it just motivates them and encourages that road to recovery.
Nicole 00:11:06 So. Sounds amazing. So. Lions Gate Hospital Foundation has deep roots in the community. How do you engage local residents, businesses and schools and supporting the hospital?
Louise 00:11:16 So one thing we do is we invite everyone to participate in events we're holding in support of the hospital. So we have a golf tournament and a gala, and many foundations do. But our biggest community engagement fundraiser is our five kilometer walkathon along the West Vancouver seawall, and it costs just $25 for anyone to participate. So there's no barrier to participation, basically. We also have lots of fundraisers in the community.
Louise 00:11:45 Our residents are so generous with this. There's donate and other sales outside grocery stores in the community centers. Our youth committee recently hosted a grad dress fashion show for secondary students, which was quite unique. And we also have a Christmas card contest for all the students across the North Shore. I think you mentioned, which is a great way for us to engage youth, and next year we'll be hosting for the first time, a Lunar New Year celebration at the community center, and everyone will be welcome to that. We also put ads in local newspapers to promote various things and online. We do mailings during the year to households with information about the foundation, our impact, how donations are making a difference. We also offer everyone the opportunity to get involved through our 50/50 draw. At our last jackpot was a record $130,000, so it's going well.
Greg 00:12:46 How important are your grassroots donations? The smaller, heartfelt gifts alongside the major philanthropic contributions.
Louise 00:12:55 They're absolutely critical to us. We always say that every donation of every size counts.
Louise 00:13:02 And Lions Gate Hospital is the hospital for here. That's our branding. We are the hospital for the North Shore. We're here for our whole community, and it's important for everyone to feel part of it. That's why while we celebrate Paul Myers for his $25 million donation, we also celebrate the other over 6000 people who made a donation to our new medical and surgical center. It all adds up and it all makes a difference. And I just want to mention that some of our most generous donors started with smaller gifts. Then we build trust with them. They see our impact and they feel comfortable to give more. So I look back in our records, actually, and Paul Myers started with a $50 donation way back in the early 2000, and then he attended our gala and he continued to give. And his latest amazing gift was 25 million. So donations can start small if people have capacity and get larger. But we are just we're grateful for every donation, honestly.
Nicole 00:14:06 So what are some of the current priorities and campaigns that you're focusing on right now?
Louise 00:14:11 So currently we're focused on raising funds to build a new inpatient rehabilitation unit on the fifth floor of LGH.
Louise 00:14:19 It's going to provide support for stroke patients and those dealing with other neurological disorders from trauma injuries. We have a lot of biking accidents here, and as well as anyone who's had a long stay in the ICU. This new unit is going to have 25 beds. It's going to have a dining room, various public areas, and perhaps most importantly, a dedicated gym that's kitted out with the latest high tech equipment, the best practices for stroke patients to receive acute rehab within 14 days for the best outcomes long term. And this new unit is going to bring together all of our physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, nurses, doctors all specialising in rehab into one place. Currently, they are located in a couple of locations throughout our campus, so having everyone in one place is going to significantly help with ensuring they get the best care, and that they no longer have to cross the bridge to go strong. That's a huge impediment to furthering outcomes, and it tires our patients. So if they can get this kind of specialized care close to home here on the North Shore, it's going to make a real difference.
Greg 00:15:37 Now, you've talked about some of the new services that you've been fortunate enough to include in the hospital, like the inpatient care and the specialty gyms. Are there any other innovations that the new tower will be able to provide for North Shore doctors that perhaps were limited at practicing in the North Shore.
Louise 00:15:55 Yes, we actually just secured our first piece of robotic surgical equipment for neurosurgery, and we're the first hospital in BC to be using it. This is located in one of the eight new OR’s in the Palmer's Tower. So our physicians, our surgeons are extremely excited about this and so are we. Robotics are the future of surgery and many aspects of health care. And now we're looking to fund another robot for more general surgery in the near future.
Nicole 00:16:29 So how can individuals or families contribute? So is it lifetime gifts? Is it memorial gifts or plan giving?
Louise 00:16:37 Yeah. So there's a variety of ways people can make a difference here at Lions Gate. So contributions can be made. We call them through a one time donation or just a straight donation.
Louise 00:16:47 These can be made through our website. You can make the gift online or mail in a check. We can provide a letter of direction for stock, gift or gift of securities. These are growing in popularity, so there's a straight donation. You can sign up as a monthly donor for recurring gift and for as little as $20 per month. You can end up contributing $240 to the foundation annually, and you receive a consolidated tax receipt at the end of the year. We accept tribute donations in honor of a loved one, and it's easy to set up a tribute online to direct donations to LG H. For larger gifts, I'd like to mention, we're also happy to discuss a pledge schedule whereby the donor makes a commitment to a series of donations that are made over the next few years. Planned giving is a big part of our donations.
Greg 00:17:41 Many of our listeners are thinking about their estate plans and legacy giving. Can you explain what a plan gift is and why it can be so impactful for a hospital foundation.
Louise 00:17:52 So a planned gift is a donation that's arranged now but allocated at a future date. So it's a gift in your will, designated to a cause that you care about. And it can have potential tax advantages as well. A future gift can help shape the future, basically. And for example, a gift in your will to LGE can help shape the future of healthcare on the North Shore and ensure that the continuation of funding for critical medical equipment and facilities will continue to be available for future generations to come.
Nicole 00:18:29 So what kind of legacy gifts might make a big difference for the Foundation's long-term goals?
Louise 00:18:35 So what's important to us is that we gain an understanding of the donor's interest and intentions, essentially what's near and dear to their heart. We would be honored to know about anyone intending to make a gift in their will to Lions Gate Hospital. In reality, we only know about 1 in 4 bequests that are made to us, and once we know about it, we can speak to the donor about potential designation to a specific area of care to ensure we fulfill their wishes when the time comes.
Louise 00:19:07 If there's no specific intentions associated with the gift in a will, the gift will be used where it's needed the most to support the most pressing health care priorities in our community at that time. And we generally call that our area of greatest need. So in answer to your question, I'd suggest that an unrestricted gift in a will can most closely align with the Foundation's long-term goals, because it would be used in accordance with the foundation's priorities at that time.
Greg 00:19:37 Now you're working with donors to ensure their gifts reflect their values and wishes. That is more in their lifetime, because, of course, you can't approach the general gift. And there's two really types of gifts we're speaking about when it comes from wills. The specific amount. Dollar amount. And then sometimes you're the residual beneficiary, which could be the whole estate could be 50%, 30%. And do they often consult you about the programs they want to contribute to at that time or specific things? Because often a family member suffered, you know, some medical issue and it's to cancer or to heart or to specific asthma, something like that.
Louise 00:20:17 Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. So it's all about communication for us in terms of fulfilling wishes and ensuring gifts reflect values. So we appreciate knowing about a gift someone is making in their wills. So first and foremost we can thank them. And like you say, we can learn about a potential designation so we can make it happen. The other thing is we like to understand their wishes around recognition. Some people are motivated by it, as I mentioned before, and some people are not at all. And to your point about designation in areas of interest, one of the things we always do is we talk about our future fundraising plans and the projects that are in the pipeline and how these will impact the community. So this gives our donors something to focus on and a sense of security that their donation will be put to good use on the North Shore. I'd also just like to mention that all donors who leave a gift in their will to Lions Gate Hospital become a member of our legacy society, and we keep these folks updated on our progress and our plans through a special annual newsletter just for them.
Louise 00:21:28 We also invite them to exclusive gatherings where they can connect with fellow donors. A favorite of many of them is our annual Christmas Tea and Legacy Society members are also recognized on our special Legacy donor wall, if they wish. And to your point about set amount or percentage of an estate. Those types of legacy gifts. We encourage our donors to speak to people like you. Legal financial advisors to choose the best type of gift that's best for them.
Nicole 00:21:59 So we hear the term transformational gifts in philanthropy. And certainly it sounds like Paul Meyers absolutely made a transformational gift. Can you tell us about some other gifts, maybe the Hope center or other gifts that have made a significant difference in the future of the hospital?
Louise 00:22:19 Yeah, for sure. So like you said, there's the $25 million gift. There's a $2 million gift that can fund a robot and impact hundreds of patients a year through that. Or it can be even a $100,000 matching donation. We had one of those that kicked off our gala fund cause a couple of weeks ago, and that quickly turned into $300,000 For a specialized treadmill for the rehab unit I mentioned.
Louise 00:22:50 So I guess I'm saying a transformational gift can take many forms and it can impact patients or inspiration for other donors. It can have an impact in many ways.
Greg 00:23:05 So can that be, for the smaller donors, which are very important? Are they ever able to or do you have, you know, gift planning where it's matched by another anonymous donor or a foundation, nor a charitable foundation? That's saying, you know, if you can raise this amount and this time we'll match it. Does that come about where somebody's giving $50, it becomes, you know, $200 or $500?
Louise 00:23:32 Absolutely. Yeah. And these matching gifts have become quite popular in recent years. But I remember a few years ago, before they really became the big thing, a local fireplace business. Valor Fireplace is wanted to make a $5,000 donation, and I encourage them to allow us to leverage it as a matching gift to raise $10,000 in ten hours. And that's how we build it in our blast to our donors. It was completely online, and we promoted it over the ten hours and ended up raising $77,000 for our new MRI, which is coming next June.
Louise 00:24:11 So a $5,000 donation quickly turned into a $77,000 donation. So absolutely. Yes.
Nicole 00:24:19 That's amazing. From your perspective, how is healthcare philanthropy evolving in B.C. and across Canada?
Louise 00:24:26 Well, I think more and more, there's a reliance on community fundraising. For example, through the foundation, our community raised a total of 127 million for the Paul Myers Tower building. And the technology in it, which was about a third of the cost, the $10 million for a new high acuity unit, which opened a few years ago, was 100% funded by our community here on the North Shore and beyond. I see this reliance only growing as a demand for health care resources continues to increase, needing improvements and government budgets remain limited.
Greg 00:25:07 Beyond financial contributions, what are some ways people can get involved in supporting Lions Gate Hospital?
Louise 00:25:13 As a nonprofit, we very much rely on volunteerism to fulfill our mission and ensure our success. We have close to 300 regular volunteers on board, from our board and Standing committee members to event committees for golf and gala and our regular office volunteers.
Louise 00:25:32 So volunteers, we're always looking for volunteers. We also have a robust Healing Power of Art program, with 1000 works now valued at close to $3 million, and we're always accepting donations of art from artists but also collectors, many of whom are downsizing. So that's a couple of ways people can get involved.
Greg 00:25:53 Are there upcoming events or volunteer opportunities or campaigns that you'd like to highlight?
Louise 00:25:59 For sure, yes. So we have our golf tournament on August 18th at Capilano Golf and Country Club. We definitely need volunteers for that and people are welcome to join in. We also have the Step Up walkathon on October 5th on the West Vancouver seawall that's coming up. And we do need volunteers for that. And we really hope that everyone on the North Shore will participate and come out and step up for life.
Nicole 00:26:25 So what do you see as the biggest opportunities and challenges for Lions Gate Hospital in the next 5 to 10 years?
Louise 00:26:32 So one of the biggest opportunities is in technology I think. So the foundation has the ability to support our staff in their work so that they can work smarter and not necessarily harder, which may not be a government priority over.
Louise 00:26:49 Urgently needed life saving equipment. But we're nimble and we can act quickly to raise money required. This is good for improving patient care and the working environment for our staff. One of our biggest challenges continues to be letting people know that their hospital needs their help. When I crunch the figures, only about 5% of people on the North Shore actually donate to LGH Foundation. As I said, I was born at LGH. I grew up on the North Shore and I've lived here as an adult, but it wasn't until I actually started working at LGH Foundation that I realised the government doesn't pay for everything within these four walls. A real challenge for us is a constant need to engage people and widening our engagement to include all parts of our community, including new arrivals to the North Shore, Sure. Young families and youth. And of course, we, like all charities, are always challenged with economic uncertainty. We compete with it, which is out of our control, but it's unfortunately quite rampant right now.
Greg 00:27:59 And I would say the need, especially for the North Shore, the population of the sea to Sky corridor has probably increased 100,000 over the last 25 years.
Greg 00:28:11 So it's nice to see these additional surgical units. Obviously we live on the North Shore. So in case you were wondering, another interesting thing. We were at another evening and they had mentioned AI starting to come in strongly into the perhaps surgeries or modeling. What's your experience with that in the foundation so far?
Louise 00:28:33 Well, I think most of well, a lot of the technology that we have purchased for the Paul Myers Tower has AI in it. I mean, there's the and I don't want to speak out of turn here because I'm not medical in any way. But we have some new automatic vital signs monitoring equipment which must have AI in it. I can only imagine because it instead of a nurse going in every 4 hours or 6 hours or whatever the order is from the physician to take blood pressure and oxygen levels and such. This is all done automatically now, and if it dips, if blood pressure all of a sudden drops, the nurse is notified. So there's amazing technology going on. I know with radiology there are a major developments.
Louise 00:29:24 I know with endoscopy there's a lot of computerized AI equipment that is more accurate than the human eye to detect certain anomalies in people's anatomy in their intestines and things. So I think it's a huge part of healthcare right now and it's only going to grow.
Nicole 00:29:46 So for someone listening today who wants to help improve health care on the North Shore, how can they get started?
Louise 00:29:52 Well, I'd suggest they think about giving to Lions Gate Hospital Foundation. We support Lions Gate Hospital, but also all of the publicly funded health care facilities across the North Shore. I mentioned we're raising funds for a new rehab unit, but if there's another area of health care close to somebody's heart, they should know that we have close to 50 different designated funds covering all the hospitals, departments and programs, including hospice, mental health. You mentioned the Hope center, Nicole, and long term care facilities across the North Shore, Berkley Care Center, Cedar View, etc. and then once they've thought about it going online, giving us a call, make your first donation or volunteer or contact your legal or financial advisor about a planned legacy gift, and think about joining your friends and neighbors and making LDH the best it can be.
Louise 00:30:45 I should also mention that 100% of donations go to LGH. The reality is our investment income covers fundraising and administrative costs.
Greg 00:30:59 Is there anything else that you'd like to share, either about the hospital, the community, or the power of giving? Before we wrap up?
Louise 00:31:07 I just want to say to each one of us has the ability to make a difference. And when we come together, great things can happen. And I really saw it happen with the Myers Tower and this amazing new state of the art facility here on the North Shore that is miles ahead of anything else in Western Canada right now.
Nicole 00:31:28 Great. Any final words of inspiration for our audience?
Louise 00:31:32 Just that a hospital is here for all of us and we need to cherish it. We need to nourish it so it's the best it can be. Just in case we need it. And I hope we never need it, but just in case we do it well.
Nicole 00:31:47 Thank you so much, Louise, for your time.
Greg 00:31:49 Thank you. Louise.
Louise 00:31:50 Thank you.
Nicole 00:31:51 This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered individual, legal, financial, or tax advice. Make sure to consult the advisor of your choice to advise you on your own circumstances. Thank you for joining us for this episode of Your Estate Matters. If you like this podcast, make sure to follow it on your podcast platform of choice.
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