May 22, 2024
As the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation’s new CEO, Crystal Elliott brings nearly 30 years of experience to her role. She began her career as a registered psychiatric nurse and has since served in a number of non-profit and healthcare leadership roles. Photo by Patrick Burles.
Story by Amelia Schofield | Photo by Patrick Burles
LETHBRIDGE — Alberta Health Services recognizes May as Health Philanthropy Month. Throughout the month, we’re celebrating our philanthropic partners who raise funds for healthcare across the province.
The Faces of Foundations profile series introduces you to leaders in healthcare philanthropy across Alberta. This week, we’re pleased to profile Crystal Elliott, chief executive officer of the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation, based in Lethbridge.
Why did you become involved with the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation?
I came to the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation with over a decade of experience in healthcare leadership where I was able to see the needs within the system. I also have over two decades experience in the not-for-profit charitable world, and worked as the executive director of the Family Centre Society of Southern Alberta, which is a not-for-profit that specializes in early brain development, and child and family programming.
I was interested in this role because it marries the best of both worlds — healthcare and non-profit. I love what the foundation stands for — investing in healthcare in our community — and I’m excited to help fulfil our mission. I also love people, so this role is a great opportunity to meet new people and to build relationships with them. To me, that’s the best part.
Why is health philanthropy important to you?
Health philanthropy is important to me because health affects us all. It’s also important to me because of a personal experience I had in 2015, where I had a surgery go wrong and spent a significant amount of time working through our healthcare systems and healing. During that experience, I benefitted from the use of a wound VAC which helped prevent infection and kept me out of hospital. I learned that the equipment is incredibly expensive and may have been funded by a foundation. I was so grateful to have it available to me. It’s important to me that we support patient-care enhancements like this — and make them available to people who need them.
What does being a leader in healthcare philanthropy mean to you? Being a leader in healthcare philanthropy means building relationships with caring individuals, developing friendships in our community to support our work, and strengthening healthcare in our region, together.
What recent foundation accomplishments make you most proud?
I’m very new to my role, but so far I’m impressed with our foundation’s success as a whole — and the positive reputation our organization has in our community. I’m also proud of the many partnerships the foundation has built, which I saw firsthand through our recent Care from the Heart Day Radio-a-thon.
Our partners really stepped up, including Costco Canada, who’s a committed supporter of our Care from the Heart campaign. This year, they donated $244,000 and, over 30 years, they’ve raised nearly $2 million for pediatric initiatives at the Chinook Regional Hospital. The Hebrew Congregation of Lethbridge, Turin 4H Club and Balog Auctions also came forward with exceptional contributions to this year’s campaign. We are so grateful for their ongoing support.
What initiatives are coming up for the foundation?
There are several initiatives we’re looking forward to at the foundation. We are currently in a feasibility study for a major capital campaign we are excited about — a Cardiac Centre of Excellence for the South Zone. We’re also planning a major partnership with the Alberta Cancer Foundation to replace the LINAC machine to the Jack Ady Cancer Centre in Lethbridge.
We’re also looking forward to our Annual Val Matteotti Italian Open, which is scheduled for Aug. 14. It’s our 29th year for this highly successful event, named after prominent philanthropists Val and Flora Matteotti. Since its inception, the event has raised about $1.7 million for life-saving healthcare and the greatest needs of our local hospital.
What is the best way for Albertans to support the foundation?
There are many ways to support the foundation, such as volunteering and being involved in our events. An upcoming opportunity will be our Youth Advisory Panel, which will provide advice on how the foundation can reach younger audiences in our community. And of course, we always welcome a donation. It doesn’t matter the size of the gift — we value and appreciate every single gift we receive.
For more information on the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation, visit crhfoundation.ca.
