BC Cancer Foundation is thrilled to announce a $1 million matching pledge from Mid Island Co-op to bring the new BC Cancer centre in Nanaimo to life. Donors can now double the impact of their donation and help transform how patients on Vancouver Island access care.
With over 80,000 members, Mid Island Co-op is a leader in the region and committed to giving back to the communities it serves. Today’s announcement is the largest gift in Mid Island Co-op’s history, highlighting the importance of the BC Cancer centre for local communities.
“Mid Island Co-op is proud to partner with the BC Cancer Foundation and contribute to the development of the new BC Cancer centre in Nanaimo that will serve cancer patients on Vancouver Island north of the Malahat,” says Ian Anderson, Mid Island Co-op’s CEO. “This is not only an investment into the healthcare structure of our region, but also in our company’s belief in the power of community and giving back. We encourage other organizations to contribute to the BC Cancer Foundation and the new BC Cancer centre in Nanaimo.”
“The BC Cancer Foundation is honoured by the generosity of Mid Island Co-op,” says William Litchfield, BC Cancer Foundation’s Executive Director – Vancouver Island. “The new BC Cancer centre in Nanaimo is essential for improving access to care for patients and families up Island. We look forward to working with the community to fully realize Mid Island Co-op’s incredible gift.”
With over half of Vancouver Island’s population residing north of the Malahat, thousands of local patients travel to BC Cancer – Victoria for essential cancer care services, including oncology consultations, radiation therapy and PET/CT imaging scans. The emotional, physical and financial burden of travel to Victoria is tremendous and often complicated by treatment side-effects, wildfires or extreme weather.
The new BC Cancer centre in Nanaimo will house four linear accelerator radiation vaults, completing an estimated 20,000 treatment visits per year. Radiation requires highly specialized infrastructure and staffing only available at BC Cancer centres. The Nanaimo centre will also include a PET/CT scanner, CT simulator and an oncology ambulatory care unit for outpatient exams and consults.
BC Cancer Foundation donors were vital in building BC Cancer – Victoria into a world-class care facility, including fundraising $5 million to bring a PET/CT scanner to the centre – the first outside of Vancouver. Donor support will help ensure the BC Cancer centre in Nanaimo is equipped with those same, critical life-saving technologies.
Over 6,000 cancer cases are diagnosed on the Island each year and the number is increasing due to an aging and growing population. The new BC Cancer centre in Nanaimo will bring care closer to home for local communities and increase Vancouver Island’s capacity for treatments.
Donate today to double your impact bccancerfoundation.com/NanaimoMatch
