
Wherever the need is most acute
Your gift to Greatest Needs is so much more than a donation.
Hope and compassion are never in short supply at Providence Health Care. Sadly, the same cannot be said of other essentials necessary for exceptional care.
When you give to Greatest Needs, you support countless programs and services right across British Columbia.
- Vital equipment like an incubator in the NICU or a new defibrillator for an arrest cart;
- Patient comfort like a blanket warmer or a tilting wheelchair to relieve pressure points;
- Innovative clinical initiatives like St. Paul’s life-saving renal obstetrics program or sensory modulation rooms for patients in psychiatric care.
And you support St. Paul’s Foundation itself.
Your gift to Greatest Needs ensures we can continue to support Providence in its mission to deliver world-class care and pursue innovative research. Of course, this includes two of the most transformative health care projects in BC history: the incredible new St. Paul’s Hospital on the Jim Pattison Medical Campus and BC’s first publicly-funded long-term care village: Providence Living at The Views in Comox.
Because of you, the Foundation is able to ensure all of Providence’s hospitals and long-term care sites have the money to meet the most urgent needs of their patients, residents, caregivers, and families. We connect donors with areas of care, raise millions in donations designated to specific programs, and we rely on donor support for our fundraising activities.
In this way, your gift to Greatest Needs helps save and improve lives across BC and around the world.

When you give to Greatest Needs, every gift – large and small – makes a difference.
If you wanted to identify ways to improve care, who would you ask? That’s easy. You’d ask the staff on the frontlines caring for our patients, residents, and their families.
Staff have first-hand experience on where there might be gaps – and they have all kinds of creative ideas to make things better.
That’s why St. Paul’s Foundation has a unique program that invites staff to share their suggestions on how we can improve patient care and comfort.
Each year, your donations allow us to bring about 300 of their compassionate, patient-centred ideas to life, including:
- Traditional food and medicines for healing and smudging ceremonies in the All Nations Sacred Space at St. Paul’s Hospital.
- Portable carts with microwaves and fridges so patients with cystic fibrosis can meet their substantial nutritional requirements 24/7.
- Reading glasses for the mobile library.
- Toiletries, clothing, and personal care items to safeguard the dignity of every patient.
- Translation services so folks get the care they need in the language they understand.
Your gift helps patients, residents, staff, and families when they need it most.

“I was just 22 when I spent seven months at St. Paul’s Hospital on the precipice between life and death. For me and my family, every day of the last 18 years has been a miracle made possible by St. Paul’s. ”
Jamie Waterlow
Necrotizing Fasciitis Survivor
When you give to Greatest Needs, you give patients like Jamie the chance to beat the odds.