Kimberley Health Care Auxiliary donates $200K to EKFH starlite campaign

The Kimberley Health Care Auxiliary has donated $200,000 to the East Kootenay Foundation for Health’s (EKFH) Starlite Campaign, its largest annual contribution to date.

Of that total, $190,000 will help fund a new mammography machine at East Kootenay Regional Hospital, while $10,000 will support the newly opened Selkirk School Based Health Hub in Kimberley.

The auxiliary raised the money through its two volunteer-run thrift stores in Kimberley and Marysville.

The foundation is raising $1 million to replace the hospital’s aging mammography equipment with a new 3D system next year.

The system’s advanced artificial intelligence capabilities are intended to make screening faster, more comfortable and more accurate, supporting earlier diagnoses and reducing the risk of missed cancers, particularly in dense breast tissue.

In Kimberley, the health hub offers youth low-barrier access to primary care. Physicians from the Kimberley Medical Clinic and an Interior Health public health nurse are available one morning a week to support students’ emotional, social and physical well-being.

The hub currently borrows desks and chairs from the school and medical equipment from the Kimberley Medical Centre. The donation will pay for new furnishings and medical supplies.

“We are absolutely overwhelmed with gratitude for the incredible generosity of the Kimberley Health Care Auxiliary and their extraordinary $200,000 donation,” said Brenna Hong, Executive Director, EKFH.

“With $190,000 supporting our Starlite Mammography Campaign and $10,000 going toward the new Selkirk School-Based Health Hub, their generosity will make a lasting and meaningful difference in the lives of people throughout the East Kootenay.

“This is so much more than a donation, it is an investment in better health care, earlier detection, and a healthier future for our families and our children. “

The annual Starlite Campaign runs through November and December, with this year’s $1-million goal dedicated to the new mammography system.

More information and donation details are available at ekfh.ca/campaigns/starlite-campaign-new-mammography-machine-for-ekrh/