As we here at St. Paul’s Foundation welcome 2024, it’s only fitting to reflect on the past year we shared together. Supported by the generosity of our donors and community, we were able to fund life-saving research, equip staff with critical training, and continue to provide compassionate care to thousands of patients and residents across Providence.
Over the past year, you helped us care for over 620,000 inpatients, respond to 130,000+ emergency department visits, and perform over 50,000+ surgeries.
We accomplished so much together last year. Join us in revisiting our top five most impactful stories from 2023.
What is Road to Recovery at St. Paul’s Hospital?
A cherished father, son, brother, and addictions counsellor, Steven Diamond was killed by fentanyl in 2016. To honour his life and legacy, the Diamond family recently announced a massive $20 million donation to fund the development of the brand-new Road to Recovery at St. Paul’s Hospital, a ‘first-in-Canada’ model of treatment that could transform addiction care across the country.
$20 million donation funds ‘First-in-Canada’ substance use treatment
Written by Jill Diamond, executive director of the Diamond Foundation
It’s taken me seven years to write these words. Seven years of crushing grief and inconsolable loss. Seven years of grappling with the endless questions I can’t escape: “What if my brother received the proper treatment? Would he be here with us today?”
Understanding a global scourge
Two years ago, James Stitchman was spending much of his retirement writing a book with his young grandson and enjoying brisk walks along Vancouver’s seawall. Then he got COVID-19, and everything changed. One morning, his wife found him unable to communicate or understand what she was saying. She took him to St. Paul’s Hospital. He spent nine days there, struggling to breathe and in a state of confusion.
Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation’s $9 million gift to Road to Recovery builds bridges in addiction care at St. Paul’s Hospital
Sometimes a crisis defines the character of the people who rise to meet it.
Committed to transforming lives, the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation has answered an appeal from the Diamond Foundation to B.C.’s philanthropic community to transform the model of care for patients with substance use disorder – the leading cause of death of people aged 19 to 39 in B.C.
The Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation has met the challenge with a $9 million gift to Road to Recovery, a groundbreaking addiction treatment and recovery program at St. Paul’s Hospital.
Bridging the gap between curing and caring
“Nurses occupy that incredibly vulnerable space between the stretcher and the curtain: in the clinic, in the emergency department, even on the streets,” says Dr. Sandra Lauck, who is both an RN and a PhD. “No one spends more hours with patients and clients than nurses.”
Now, in a bold move to leverage the expertise of our nurses, Providence Health Care is creating CREST: the Centre for Research Training for nurses and allied health professionals.
It is through the actions of generous donors that Providence can provide compassionate care across BC. Learn more about the impacts of gifts to St. Paul’s Foundation through the link below.