Dollar donations help to make health-care experiences better
Most of us in the city, at some point, will have to seek treatment for a medical condition or illness at the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital. That’s just as fact, says Heather Bach, executive director of the Medicine Hat and District Health Foundation, and that’s also why considering a legacy gift to the Foundation is so important.
“We are all born in the hospital, and while hopefully we don’t need it for many years, many of us will end up there at the end of life,” says Bach. “Pretty much everybody is going to visit that place at one time, whether they want to or not. The Health Foundation was established to enhance patient comfort and care. We’re there to make sure the best health care is there when we need it.”
Usually such legacy gifts represent “bigger dollar donations” for the Foundation, says Bach, which help greatly with purchasing those extras which make the local health care experience better and less stressful for patients.
“Some of our big goals are reducing wait times for patients and preventing patients from travelling,” explains Bach. “We don’t want our friends, family and neighbours in the community to have to go to Calgary or Lethbridge for treatment.”
Bach gives some examples of what Health Foundation dollars have been used for in Medicine Hat.
“Some of the exciting things we do is we like to bring in new technology,” she says. “With the hospital expanding right now, we have been able to bring in gold standard operating rooms and equipment. Our respiratory department moved and we were able to put in new stress test rooms, and we brought in equipment for them to start being able to do new procedures they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to do.
“Our government tax dollars just do not cover everything,” she adds. “They cover enough to get the health care we need, but they don’t cover, for example, the La-Z-Boy the new dad is sitting in while the mom is in labour. We are there to make sure all the extras are there.”
Bach says it is important to consult your family, your accountant and your attorney before making a decision to bequeath a legacy gift. This ensures your family knows your wishes clearly, and you are coming up with the right numbers to give you the best benefit for your gift.
“An important benefit is legacy giving can really help your estate because you can either pay the government in taxes coming out of your estate, or you can give that money to the charity that matters most to you,” states Bach. “Most legacy donations come to us as a surprise and most legacy donors choose to remain anonymous. It’s something which is very private and personal to people, but it’s a great way where you don’t have the capacity to give today you can give later on in life. We can help guide you to determine what area of local health care matters to you most when directing your donation. So if electric beds are important to you, we’ll make sure the money goes to that area.”