Mining supports BC hospital

The mining community of British Columbia has donated $700,000 to the renovation of a facility dedicated to treating children with heart problems.

The donation will enable cardiologists and support staff at British Columbia Children’s Hospital to be housed under the same roof, thereby ensuring patients have better access to caregivers.

The new centre has four echocardiology rooms, which are larger and better-ventilated than the three previous ones, and a “teleconferencing” room to help doctors communicate with other medical personnel throughout the world. Also, patients and their children have a new play area.

The Children’s Heart Centre is one of the country’s best facilities for treating children with congenital heart defects.

“Our cardiac sciences team has been at the forefront of several significant advances in the care of young heart patients,” says Derek Human, medical director of cardiac services at the hospital, which treats about 7,500 children annually. “The result is a dramatic increase in the survival of rate for children with serious heart defects.”