New Westminster, BC, September 1, 2021 — Support BC’s most seriously ill and injured patients by taking part in Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation’s 50/50 lottery. You could win big while supporting your healthcare heroes!
With a jackpot that has already surpassed $80,000, how high will it climb? When your healthcare heroes win, so do you!
Deadline to purchase tickets is tonight, September 1st, 2021 at 11:59:59pm. Enter now for a chance to win big and help Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation. The lucky winner gets half the final jackpot!
Tickets are 10 for $10, 50 for $20 and 200 for $40!
Buy tickets today! Tickets must be purchased on their website.
About Royal Columbian Hospital
From the beginning, Royal Columbian Hospital has stood at the heart of health care in British Columbia. Created by visionary pioneers to provide compassionate care to those building a new province, we have participated in the social and economic changes of British Columbia since 1862. Today, we are one of British Columbia’s busiest hospitals, serving a population of more than 1.8 million people. We are a regional referral hospital for cardiac, trauma, neurosciences, high-risk maternity and neonatal intensive care. No other hospital in the province provides all of these services, at this level of care, on one site. We provide the highest level of care to the most critically ill and injured from throughout the province.
The importance of testing to confirm COVID-19 infections has drawn new attention to the role of our healthcare labs. At Royal Columbian Hospital, the lab has a long history that goes back more than 100 years. Nowadays, with more than 5-million tests performed a year and with the generous support of donors to Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation, the hospital’s Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Department helps in over 80-percent of medical diagnoses. And that was before the pandemic struck.
Dr. Reza Alaghehbandan
“If we don’t know what the disease is, then we won’t be able to treat the disease,” says department head Dr. Reza Alaghehbandan, who explains how the lab can provide answers when basic physical exams or radiographic images don’t identify what ails a patient. “One of our main goals as lab professionals has always been supporting and serving public health. When the pandemic came, our role became much more pronounced, both at the hospital and the community levels.”
In the early months of the pandemic in 2020, with Royal Columbian designated as one of the province’s primary COVID-19 sites, the hospital’s lab worked with the region’s medical microbiology centre and with the BC Centre for Disease Control to handle and transfer COVID-19 tests and relay the results back to medical teams.
“During that first phase of the disease, we immediately developed a very efficient and logistical process,” says Dr. Alaghehbandan.
A few months later, the lab obtained the technology to conduct its own on-site COVID-19 testing. By opening a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing room in the lab – complete with Dr. Bonnie Henry’s famous mantra ‘Be Kind. Be Calm. Be Safe.’ displayed on the wall, the hospital gained the ability to test inpatients at the hospital.
“The impact of that was so much that it increases our capacity, it enhances the so-called turnaround time, getting the results back into the hands of our colleagues,” says Dr. Alaghehbandan.
The lab then took on another key pandemic-related role as vaccinations started arriving in our region. With the first mRNA vaccines needing to be kept at very cold temperatures, Royal Columbian provided the infrastructure, expertise, and leadership to help manage the delivery and distribution of the vials.
“And this happened on a 24/7 basis,” says Dr. Alaghehbandan, “because sometimes the shipments would come at odd hours, and we had dedicated staff who were here days and nights to make sure that the flow, the inventory is safe and efficient.”
While the pandemic has dominated global attention, the hospital’s lab has also carried on its usual work testing for cancer, autoimmune disorders, chromosome analysis, and more. In recent years, support from donors to Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation has helped bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of technology, including:
- Thinprep 5000 Processor: an essential piece of equipment to support rapid and less invasive cancer diagnosis.
- Digital Slide Scanner: converts glass slides into high-resolution digital images, allowing for timely and accurate consultations that lead to patient diagnoses.
- FISH Analyzer: used to detect subtle specific chromosome abnormalities.
- Optilite Protein Analyzer: helps to provide protein testing, including for patients on chemotherapy.
- Coverslip: helps in the safe transport of cancer-related tests for a specialized area called immunohistochemistry (IHC).
- Multi-head microscope: allows multiple pathologists to simultaneously view each sample, enabling them to pool their collective knowledge and expertise.
“Thank you donors for honouring us with your support,” remarks Dr. Alaghehbandan.
Get your tickets today. Stand by our healthcare heroes and help to fund crucial equipment needed for life saving care. Not only are you supporting healthcare in BC, but you can win big too!
Discover more about the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation.
*open to BC residents only, must be 19+ to play, BCLC Licence #128587. Actual odds of winning are dependent on the number of tickets sold. Know your limit, play within it.
