Hospital foundations continue to help Alberta's health-care system. Here's how they work
CBC
Hospital foundations are indispensable to the health-care system in communities across Alberta and the country.
Take Wainwright, Alta., for instance.
Late last year people in and around the town, about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton, raised $2.2 million for a new CT scanner for the Wainwright Health Centre.
The effort, led by fundraising efforts of the Wainwright and District Health Foundation, earned the community headlines across the province.
But why does a foundation need to raise money for medical equipment when Alberta Health Service (AHS) is publicly funded?
The answer is priorities.
A hospital foundation is a non-profit attached to a major hospital in a city or town that funds research and other enhancements to health care through donor support.
Funding projects could target equipment, programs, renovations, research and education in the community and across the province.
In Alberta, 69 hospital foundations support AHS hospitals and other facilities. Other foundations do similar work, like the Covenant Foundation that supports Catholic hospitals and facilities operated by Covenant Health.
Hospital foundations receive a grant from the provincial government covering rent and paper. It doesn't cover salaries as all positions are voluntary.
"From there we rely solely on public donations," Bill Lawson, chair of the Wainwright and District Health Foundation.
The foundation hosts an annual gala and other fundraising events throughout the year, Lawson said.
Hospital foundations are independent from AHS and are registered with the Canadian Revenue Agency. Through the objects of their bylaws, they support the sites and programs of AHS.
Where AHS can't fund a project right away or if it's low on the priority list, hospital foundations step up to cover the cost.
