July 29, 2016
Scott Mitchell, Chair of the Vulcan County Health & Wellness Foundation, stands beside fellow board member, trustee Donna Graham (seated), and Brenda Findlay, Manager of Acute Care and Long-Term Care at the Vulcan Community Health Centre. The three have been instrumental in moving the hospital expansion forward.
Story by Kerri Robins; photo courtesy of Brenda Findlay
VULCAN — For Donna Graham, trustee board member with the Vulcan County Health & Wellness Foundation, being told last December to go home and get her affairs in order after a Stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis was the scariest news she’d ever received.
“It made for a bad Christmas present,” says the 69-year-old. “It was a tough time to say the least when my body basically collapsed and I spent about six weeks in the Vulcan Community Health Centre.”
“I needed total care but the staff made sure I was transferred immediately to Calgary when I needed it, and took care of all the details.”
A Vulcan resident, Graham required a full week of daily radiation as her cancer had moved from her lung to her bones and brain. “I’ve had to travel to Calgary where my main oncologist is, and I’ve had treatment at the Cancer Centre in High River, but I’m lucky to have my bi-weekly blood tests here in Vulcan.”
Fortunately for Graham, the foundation and the health centre are two sides of the same coin — partners with the same vision in mind.
“We’re an advocate for our health centre and our primary goal is to create a healthy future for Vulcan and area residents,” says Scott Mitchell, Chair of the foundation and Graham’s fellow board member.
That’s why the foundation has been tirelessly fundraising for an 800-square-metre expansion of The Vulcan Community Health Centre.
The project carries a price tag of $4.5 million and the foundation has raised $850,000 since 2013 toward that goal. “The new addition is going to be technologically advanced, and environmentally clean and green,” says Mitchell.
Brenda Findlay, Manager Acute Care and Long-Term Care at the health centre, is as eager as Mitchell and Graham for the expansion.
“The new facility will be dedicated to a doctor’s clinic, and our existing adult day support program and rehabilitation services will move to the new space to increase accessibility for these clients,” says Findlay.
“We hope to build the new space with flexibility in mind. This will allow us opportunities to continue partnering with the community to offer health and wellness programs in the new space. For example, our Healthy Moms Healthy Babies, yoga classes and nutrition classes would be well served in the new area.”
This is good news for the town, and even more good news is the community can now ‘triple’ their donations through the Town of Vulcan and Vulcan County.
“For each dollar donated by our community members, both the town and the county will match the donation,” adds Mitchell. “So each dollar donated is worth three dollars for our community health care. That’s motivating, and all the more reason to donate and invest in our health.”
Graham shares the enthusiasm for the new space. “I went for years without the need for health care, but when I got my news, the support from our health care staff was amazing.”
This new space is going to provide the opportunity and attraction for doctors to move here and make Vulcan their home. And that’s a great thing for patients because a permanent doctor gets to know their patients and their history,” says Graham.
Vulcan is a vibrant community in Southern Alberta, and the goal of the expansion project is to extend the efficiency of the health centre looking out over the next 30 years.
Ground breaking for the expansion is expected to take place next spring, and Findlay has nothing but praise for the foundation and community support.
“We’re really pleased this project is moving ahead and the foundation has been a critical piece for us,” she says. “It’s a good feeling knowing our community is so supportive in their health care, and the project promises to advance and improve our ability to provide quality care for our patients.”
Mitchell agrees. “This is definitely a momentous occasion for us as the new space will provide improved access to primary health care services.”
“The clinic expansion project is moving forward, so what are you waiting for?” asks Mitchell, who encourages his friends and neighbours in the region to take advantage of the tripling effect of donations with the Town and County of Vulcan.
As for Graham, she’s doing well and says with a laugh: “My doctors have told me I’m getting boring. They’ve put me on a daily chemotherapy pill that targets my cancer. I couldn’t ask for better treatment and I’ve been at home for months.
“The commitment Vulcan health care staff has brought to my health is unbelievable, and I can’t thank them enough.”
For more information, please visit www.vchwfoundation.com.
