By David F. Rooney
A campaign to build a helipad at Queen Victoria Hospital is just now taking flight and is already gaining momentum.
The Revelstoke District Health Foundation campaign says our hospital needs a helipad because you or a loved one may need to evacuated by a helicopter someday.
The groundwork for the campaign began in May when the RDHF convened a meeting to outline the way forward. However, the IHA said at the time that while it would cover maintenance and operating costs of the helipad, it would not build it. The helipad is estimated to cost about $465,000.
That’s a lot of money but organizers have already secured about $200,000 in commitments from local donors.
Anyone who has suffered a major health crisis in Revelstoke understands the absolute necessity of having a helipad. We love our town and its location in the mountains but we also recognize that our relative isolation, the dangerous highway, the requirements of local industries when accidents occur and the rapidly growing tourism adventure sector make a life-saving and time-saving helipad more critical than ever. The first hour after a serious injury can be the difference between life and death, especially if a higher level of care is needed at another hospital.
To ensure that the public has an opportunity to ask questions about this venture the organizing committee, led by Co-Chairmen Steven Hui and Fred Beruschi, is holding a “a pre-launch preview” on Sunday November 6, at the Revelstoke Ski Swap at the Revelstoke Community Center from 1 pm – 3:30 pm with a public open house on Monday November 7, from 5 pm-7 pm at the Queen Victoria Hospital Boardroom on the second floor.
The official public fundraising launch will occur 10 am on Monday, November 14, in the foyer of QVH.
For more information, please drop in at these events or click here to visit the campaign’s website.
Donations may be made payable to and mailed to:
Revelstoke District Health Foundation
PO Box 2421
Revelstoke, BC, V0E 2S0.
You can also drop off a donation at the Revelstoke Credit Union or you can click here to make a donation online.
The committee needs our help to add the helipad to our community’s emergency care service.
