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Author: Yolanda Brooks
Fara Lambing is a Public Health nurse with the Child & Youth Team on the North Shore. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she wanted to find a way to be more useful. So when she heard about an opportunity to redeploy and join the Personalized Stabilization and Support (PSS) team, she jumped at the opening. It gave Fara the chance to work with the PSS team and visit the COVID-19 patients following their discharge from Lions Gate Hospital.
The PSS team supports people to safely transition from hospital back to home. They provide community/home support and reablement care to increase self-reliance and optimal functionality. This type of care at home aids recovery and aims to get clients back to their normal activity levels as soon as possible. After more than two months with the team, she’s back with Public Health, but with a story to tell and gratitude to offer for her experience. Fara’s put pen to paper in hopes of inspiring other staff within VCH to share their experiences being redeployed during the pandemic.
Fara Lambing is a Public Health nurse with the Child & Youth Team on the North Shore. She was redeployed during the COVID-19 pandemic and is sharing her story.
In-vivo altruism – a novel experience in the time of a novel pandemic
During my redeployment to the PSS team I found the perfect, ethical opportunity to practice “in-vivo altruism” and kindness with the COVID-19 patients I visited in their homes. With the pace of the COVID-19 pandemic, reconnecting to the core of human kindness and altruism was the most effective skill for me to help my clients. It also helped rebuild their sense of self and replenish their motivation to return to who they truly are, despite their new health challenges and physical weakness.
During our weekly huddles, I quickly realized the focus of all my coworkers was also deeply rooted in the concept of kindness and altruism. The internal collaboration of our multidisciplinary team and careful planning of the goals and care plans not only improved the physical health of our COVID-19 clients, but also their emotional resilience, refocusing their energy to the positive.
Our collective efforts to devote quality time and really listen to our clients and their family members during our visits, created an empowering framework in which patients and their families could feel they were deeply and meaningfully seen. This was possible, despite their perceived powerlessness during the pandemic.
I fondly remember our 93-year-old grandma who told me she was banging her plates and cups in bed at 7 p.m. There was our 56-year-old client who, despite his muscle weakness, did his best to be on his balcony and said, “Every day, I applaud facing LGH for all the medical team members from the bottom of my heart.” And a client’s little daughter who happily opened the door for the rehab assistant and screamed, “Daddy’s teacher is here!” She was not even afraid of the yellow gown, face shield, and gloves. This is the least I can offer to recognize the emotional legacy of this pandemic.
Throughout this experience, I learned that it is in the midst of the challenges and interactions with others that we develop an aptitude within us to practice an in-vivo altruism and thereby actualizing our humanity.
I am very grateful to my wonderful Public Health Child & Youth team managers and coworkers who supported me in this valuable redeployment experience. And the outstanding PSS team members who empowered me with their generous guidance and lifesaving skills, always remaining selfless and humble.
-Fara Lambing
This article was written by Jeremy Deutsch, a Communications Specialist for Vancouver Coastal Health.
Paul Myers the local philanthropist who donated $25 million to Lions Gate Hospital and inspired the $100 million campaign to build a state-of-the-art Medical & Surgical Centre at LGH was guest of honour at a gathering to mark the latest phase in the construction of the new development.
He was joined by Ryan Beedie, President of Beedie Development Group and Chair of the campaign which successfully raised $104 million in support of the new facility.
The new plant that will power the new facility, as well as the rest of the LGH campus, is already operational and once this final demolition work is completed, the site will be ready for construction proper to begin.
The COVID-19 health emergency has placed more stringent infection control protocols on all hospitals. With the design of clinically enhanced spaces combined with ability to isolate more patients, the new hospital will be built to handle future health emergencies.
The facility, which will serve as a hub for acute and remote services for the North Shore and Coastal region, will include eight state-of-the-art operating rooms, a therapeutic healing and elder-friendly environment, a virtual health care centre serving more than 180,000 people, as well as 108 single patient rooms.
Construction for the Medical & Surgical Centre is expected to be completed at the end of 2024.
Thanks to Craftsman Collision, close to $120,000 has been raised to build a new Critical Care Unit at Lions Gate Hospital.
A promise by long-time corporate partner Craftsman Collision to donate up to $50,000 to match funds donated to LGH turbo-boosted our campaign for a new Critical Care Unit.
As the success of the campaign grew, Craftsman Collision, which is locally owned and operated by Bill Hatswell and his children Rick, Greg and the Hatswell family, stepped up and increased their gift to $60,000. Close to $120,000 was raised in total.
We also teamed up with Shell to offer a grand prize of free fuel for a year, worth $3,500. Shell has also generously donated twenty-five $75 gift cards so we have a total of twenty-six prizes up for grabs. Our Shell ‘Win Free Fuel’ giveaway has closed, and winners will be announced soon.
With Craftsman Collision, Shell, and the generosity of people like you, we surpassed our goal to help ensure that the Critical Care Unit is equipped and ready to accept its first patients in 2022.
Our North Shore Lend a Hand Fund, initiated by Chan Sisters Foundation, provides short-term support to older, low-income adults who struggle with chronic health conditions and are on their own. It’s a new initiative unique to North and West Vancouver.
Community health care workers have identified gaps in care and the additional services that can keep clients well in their homes to reduce their risk of homelessness, cut down on the number of repeat visits to the emergency department and limit the negative impacts that medical conditions have on their day-to-day lives.
With small grants available from the Lend a Hand Fund, our community care providers can encourage social interaction by paying for group meals and activities and also offer vital health education.
Our community care workers visit dozens of clients every day. They see the challenges and understand how and where the Fund can make the biggest impact.
Hear how the Lend a Hand Fund is changing lives in the community.
“There are so many costs that so many of us take for granted being able to pay. Whether it’s dental work or being able to pay your deductible for prescription medications. These small costs that come up for people living in poverty can be an enormous source of stress and can mean the difference between paying for rent or life-saving medication.”
Katie Hume, Team Lead at Health Connection Clinic
When you make a donation to the Lend a Hand Fund, you help bridge the gap between what the government provides and what our vulnerable older adults need to overcome the many challenges that they face.
Donate to the Lend a Hand Fund
Last September medical teams from across Lions Gate Hospital and a team of paramedics came together to take part in an emergency stroke simulation. It was part of an exhaustive year-long effort that has had a dramatic impact on the care that stroke patients receive at LGH.
A volunteer played a 62-year-old woman suffering from left-sided weakness. Two million brain cells die every minute during a stroke and the aim of the life-like training session was to get the patient from admission, to diagnosis to treatment as quickly as possible.
The team aced the session and reduced the time from admission to medication from 60 to 17 minutes. Less than two hours later during a debriefing session a Code 77 (stroke alert) was called on the hospital PA system. It was time for the team to put their training to a very critical test. In a weird case of deja vu, the real, live patient was a 62-year-old woman presenting with weakness on the left side.
With the simulation session still fresh in their minds, the physicians, nurses and paramedics were able to maintain the 17-minute timeline from admission to clot-busting drug. Three days later the patient walked out of LGH hospital with no long-term side effects.
“It was such a powerful moment. I still get goose bumps thinking about it,” says Marieve Legrand, Stroke and TIA Coordinator (Transient Ischemia Attack) for Neurosciences at LGH.
There have been many more similar cases since the stroke collaborative was launched.
Lions Gate Hospital is an Advanced Stroke Centre which has the technology and expertise to provide one of the highest levels of stroke care in the province. Last year 275 people suffering from acute stroke symptoms were treated in Emergency and on the Neurology ward at LGH. And it’s not just patients from the North Shore, people who live in the Sea-to-Sky corridor and Sunshine Coast are brought directly to LGH if a recent stroke is suspected.
Between October 2018 and October 2019 LGH was involved in the province-wide Hyper Acute Stroke Collaborative in an effort to improve survival rates and shorten recovery for stroke patients. Marieve Legrand coordinated the effort at LGH which included medical professionals from Emergency, Medical Imaging, and Neurology.
Time of arrival at Emergency to CT Scan has been reduced by 20 mins and the turn-around time for patients that need to be transferred to a specialist procedure at Vancouver General Hospital has been reduced by 35 minutes.
Education, simulation sessions, and awareness raising were all part of an effort to ensure that all the relevant staff have access to the latest medical research, were given time to develop the most efficient clinical practices and had the opportunity to hone their clinical skills.
Thank you very much to BlueShore Financial for matching gifts totalling $10,000 to our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. The total was met on Tuesday June 2nd, 2020. Thank you for helping us double our impact – turning $10,000 into $20,000!
The Lions Gate Hospital Foundation has allocated a total of $955,000 from the COVID-19 Fund to the purchase of life-saving equipment including ventilators, respiratory aids, thermometers, and physiological monitors.
At BlueShore Financial, our North Shore roots run deep with nearly 80 years of serving the community. Now more than ever, we need to band together to protect the health and well-being of our community members. We are proud to evolve our 25 year partnership with Lions Gate Hospital to help the North Shore COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund through the Double Your Impact program.
North Shore COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund
The North Shore COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund was established in March, 2020, to address the immediate needs of patients and staff impacted by the pandemic. Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of donors, the fund surpassed $2.1 million in June.
One million dollars have been allocated for essential supplies and equipment, including: seven ventilators, thirteen physiological monitors, fifty temporal thermometers, as well as humidifiers, and other respiratory devices.
The outpouring of generosity and support from our community has been life-saving. Thanks to hundreds of donors, volunteers, local businesses and organizations, we have made a significant impact on the North Shore.
Supplies and Equipment
Supplies and equipment donations received to date include: 27,105 N95 masks; 49,561 masks; 14,307 pairs of gloves; 901 pairs of goggles; 849 protective suits; 11,478 face shields; and more than 15 gallons of hand-sanitizer. In addition, 356 grocery gift cards were donated to long-term care facility staff at Cedarview Lodge & Berkley Care Centre.
Feeding the Frontline
Numerous local restaurants opened their hearts and kitchens to provide meals for staff working long shifts. Additionally, many other companies sponsored meals for staff at health care facilities across the North Shore. Food donations included 7,095 meals; 11,521 snacks; 12,882 drinks; and $130,018 in sponsored food related donations. This generosity has made the lives of our frontline health care workers and support staff a little easier during the exceptional times of COVID-19.
Community Support
This influx of support has been shared with the community. Close to 800 hot lunches have been delivered to individuals who live in low-income housing facilities on the North Shore. In addition, 576 gift cards were given to long-term care facility staff.
Rest and Recovery
Thanks to a $100,000 donation from the Djavad Mowafaghian Foundation, accommodation was available for eligible frontline employees. This gift supported employees who were distancing from their families for safety reasons and/or had long commutes to and from home between shifts.
Thank You
Over the past several months our community has come together to support the patients and staff most impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Thank you for your support during this time.
If you have any questions, please contact us at 604.984.5785, or via email.
Thank you so much for your support and stay safe.
Lions Gate Hospital is one of 17 Primary COVID care sites in BC and it has undergone some major changes to prepare for an influx of patients requiring critical care during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Integrated Operations Centre, which was opened last fall thanks to a $200,000 donation from the Foundation, is now the Coastal Emergency Operations Centre. It is open 24/7 to coordinate patient intake, logistics and planning.
The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) now has 5 negative pressure rooms, and a specialized COVID-19 unit with 28 beds has been set up on the second floor. With fewer surgeries taking place, extra capacity has been created in other units throughout the hospital.
The Emergency Department has been re-configured to ensure that visitors are met right at the entrance before admission ensuring that suspected COVID-19 cases are separated from patients dealing with other urgent health issues.
Patients visiting for chemotherapy enter the clinic through a separate, sealed entrance to provide them with extra protection while they receive life-saving treatment.
Patients requiring time-sensitive care are meeting with their health-care providers through video-conferencing.
As the crisis continues, hospital staff will continue to adapt to ensure that all critical cases, whatever the cause, can receive the treatment they need when they need it.
This contest is now closed. Thank you to everyone who submitted an entry! We loved seeing the colourful designs. The winners (picked at random) are: Aiden (age 0-5), Ben (age 6-8), and Bella (age 9-12).
The support we’ve received from the kids in our community has been heartwarming.
We see the hearts in your windows, the painted rocks around town, and the gorgeous art you’ve shared with us.
To celebrate, we’re hosting Seymour the Lion’s Helping Hands Colouring Contest for kids aged 0-12. We will be giving away a total of three Seymour Stuffies based on the age group of the artist; ages 0-5, 6-8, and 9-12.
We invite your kiddos to do their part to help flatten the curve by completing the helping hands colouring challenge. Once your child has completed a helping action, they colour in the badge next to it.
Encourage your kids get creative with their crayons, and they could win a Seymour the Lion Stuffy!
• Fill out your young artist’s name and age at the bottom of the sheet.
• Once completed, take a photo and post it on our Facebook wall (or your own wall, but your account will need to be public for us to see it) or on Instagramand tag @LGHFoundation.
A winner will be selected on Friday April 24th and your Seymour the Lion will be mailed to you.
The Fine Print:
By joining the contest, you consent for your child’s artwork to be shared on our website and social media channels.
The Seymour the Lion’s Helping Hands Colouring Contest begins on Monday April 6th, 2020, and closes Friday April 24th, 2020.
Thank you very much to the Gulshan & Pyarali G. Nanji Family Foundation for matching gifts totalling $100,000 to our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. The total was met on Thursday April 9th, 2020. Thank you for helping us double our impact – turning $100,000 into $200,000!
Pyarali and Gulshan Nanji and their family of four children were among the thousands of Ugandans of Indian descent exiled from the country in the 1970s.
They were airlifted to Canada and initially lived in Montreal where they had to start their lives from scratch.
Thankful for the safe refuge given to their family, Pyarali and Gulshan made a pledge to give back to the country that gave them safe haven.
In 1991 Pyarali Nanji founded Belle-Pak Packaging Inc and today the company employs 200 people and supplies products for companies across North America.
The couple never forgot their promise, and over the years, they have donated millions of dollars to Canadian charities and health care facilities.
The $100,000 pledge to the North Shore COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund is the Gulshan & Pyarali G. Nanji Family Foundation’s largest donation to date to LGH Foundation.
