BOARD REPORT to the AGM of the CHEMAINUS HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION
May 25, 2022
Welcome to our AGM covering the period June, 2021 to May, 2022. This year it is wonderful to be able to offer the choice of attending this meeting in person, by Zoom, or telephone connection. It really has widened our ability to complete our obligation to report to you, the membership. Thank you for your assistance and understanding in achieving that goal. The Board has continued conducting business with Zoom meetings throughout the year and our first in-person meeting was held recently in April. There were nine (9) meetings held in 2021/2022 covering the period after the last AGM to the current AGM.
I like to start the proceedings with our Thank you, recognition and sincere appreciation of various people and organizations over this past year.
- Thank you firstly to our generous donors who by their contributions to the Foundation, continue to support health services in our communities
- Thank you to all health service providers throughout our communities and throughout this pandemic!
- Thank you to all who have continued to provide necessary services and have worked hard to keep themselves and others safe
- Thank you to all the Board members who continue to volunteer their time, expertise and heart to the Foundation efforts. Special thanks this year goes to Linda Rankine, as Treasurer, ensuring the Foundation is on a solid financial trajectory.
- Thank you to the CHCC management and staff for their tireless dedication to the care and safety of the residents and the public
- Thank you to the Chemainus Health Care Auxiliary who make working together enjoyable in achieving more for this community
- Thank you to the Steeples Housing Society supporting our meetings and governance by providing space to use at no cost
- Thank you to Mr. Don Bodger of our local newspaper for continuing to report on our activities and successes (eg, Mature Student Award)
- Thank you to Mr.’s Roan and Mark McMillan for overseeing our website and to Mr. Paul Edwards for taking over that role this past year
- Thank you to a long time member of our Board who is not standing for another three year term , Mr. John Marriott. John was a significant part of the Foundation from the beginning, serving as President for several years. He left the Board for a time and returned in 2013, serving as Vice-President for five years. As a working Director, his expertise and experience enhanced our ability to complete two significant projects, the enlargement of the Adult Day Program space at CHCC and the construction of a specialty built bus for that ADP program. We appreciated his insights and ongoing commitment to this community. In recognition and respect for his service I have a token to present to him at this time. (do presentation)
Again, Thank You.
Donations:
In 2021, the Foundation received $9,759.00. This is less than the commitments approved for this past year.
However, the Foundation’s budget strategy has allowed us to continue funding to CHCC, The Steeples, community programs and special projects as follows:
2021 Expenditures and Commitments for Community Needs
For the Chemainus Health Care Centre, we approved monies for the areas of Adult Day Program, Activities and Needs for Residential Care, Residential Care and Physio and Occupational Therapy totalling: $25,500
- ADP IPad $480
- ADP BBQ $500
- 12 new Mattress covers $1070
- 5 cordless Fall Monitoring equipment $1592
- TV stand – Main Lounge LTC $112
- BTL-4710 Smart Ultrasound (OT/PT) $1994
- Amplifier & 5-speakers system – Main Lounge LTC $1530
- LTC Shaw Blue Curve for Activities for 12 months $1620
- Activities & Needs $3000
- LTC music $4800
- ADP music $2400
- recliner for Palliation Room $2620**
- special breakfast cart for LTC $3782**
The ** items were not able to be purchased this last year due to Covid restrictions or supply issues.
Training:
The Foundation continues to provide support for current and future providers of human health care. The following three areas are in our budget each year.
For 2021:
- Chemainus Secondary School. One Scholarship and three Bursaries at $1500 each were available. The recipients were Sian Diewart, Melanie Cheng, Jennifer Mahon and Emma Wilson.
- Mature Student Award went to E. Pilyk
- Chemainus Health Care Centre Staff . There was one award to Lorraine Cinkant, pursuing further education in Food Service and Nutrition.
Community:
- The Cowichan Family Caregivers Support Society received $5,000 in 2021 and $6,000 in 2022, an increase of $1000. This organization has supported families in our area for over twenty years. The Foundation has given some support to them since 2010.
- A representative from the Foundation attends the Remembrance Day ceremony at the cenotaph. Support to the Legion’s wreath program is $75 annually.
- The Foundation continues to be a member of the Chemainus Chamber of Commerce at approximately $121 annually.
- The Foundation placed two banners of appreciation to ‘All Frontliners’ and ‘all CHCC staff’. The larger banner was placed at the Henry Road roundabout for several months and then moved to the fencing across from the Chemainus Theatre. The smaller banner was placed at the entrance to CHCC.
- we have been fortunate in welcoming five new members to the Foundation, two of whom stepped forward this past year to participate on the Board
Administration:
The Board works to minimize costs and its impact on donations received. The Foundation does not have any paid staff and each Board Member volunteers their time. The Steeples continues to donate space at no cost for our meetings and filing storage needs.
The costs that we do incur are consistently in line with previous years and have shown a trend of approximately 1-2% increase or decrease year to year over the past five years.
As reported at last year’s AGM, we have continued to ensure proper governance by completing a full review and rewrite of the Bylaws, which will be presented for full membership approval at this AGM under item 11.0 of tonight’s Agenda.
There has been considerable work done by our Treasurer and approved by the Board, to ensure a stable and realistic financial basis for the continued work of the Foundation. During this work, it was revealed that the membership needs to vote on a proposed change to how a portion of the funds are to be saved and used. This will be addressed in item 8.0 of tonight’s Agenda.
At last year’s AGM we reported that the Foundation was exploring options for managing donated funds in a way that respects the wishes and expectations of donors, preserves or increases value, while remaining in control of those funds and following set principles to protect those funds.
It is reported that going forward, there is a clear plan of safe investments spread over the next 1-5 years and managed by the Board, that will ensure the continuation of the Foundation and it’s mission.
Looking forward:
We will continue to have close ties with management at CHCC in ongoing assessments of what equipment, programs and training we can provide monetary support for. This will remain the Foundation’s priority focus to provide health and safety and enjoyment of all residents and staff and public at CHCC. It is important to support the communities to preserve and improve the facilities it has.
The past couple of years during the COVID pandemic have shown the importance of working together and the Foundation will expand relationships with community groups and organizations to promote better health care. We can see possible areas of cooperation that would benefit people living in our communities and these will be explored further. This will be done within the context of our Mission Statement: To support excellence in health care for the residents of Chemainus and area.
The Foundation will look to the building and completion of the new Cowichan District Hospital with great anticipation and support. This may take the form of specific equipment or program support.
This concludes the President’s report for the 2021 financial year. Thank you.
Kathleen Hepburn, President, CHCF