Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Dr. R.E.M. Lee Hospital Foundation

The Dr. R.E.M. Lee Hospital Foundation is a volunteer‑led, registered charity created in 1988 to support Mills Memorial Hospital and Terraceview Lodge in Terrace, British Columbia. The foundation exists to bridge the gap between limited government funding and the actual medical and technological needs of patients across Northwest BC. It does this by raising and directing charitable dollars toward approved equipment purchases and healthcare projects that improve local care.

The foundation works closely each year with physicians, clinical leaders and facility staff to identify priority equipment and technology needs. Based on these needs, it defines projects and fundraising goals, then uses donated funds to purchase items such as diagnostic imaging systems, surgical tools, maternal and neonatal care equipment, bathing and mobility aids for seniors, and other hospital and long‑term care infrastructure.

Donations administered by the foundation typically cover a substantial share of the cost of new and upgraded medical equipment—historically around half of capital equipment costs. Projects have included CT and ultrasound technology, neonatal warmers and incubators, ventilators, operating room imaging systems, urology and women’s health equipment, therapeutic and bathing equipment for dementia and long‑term care units, and environmental improvements that enhance patient comfort.

In addition to ongoing smaller purchases, the foundation undertakes major capital campaigns, such as its “Closer to Home” initiative to help establish a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Special Care Nursery in Terrace. These campaigns target specific, high‑impact investments that allow residents, including many First Nations communities across a vast region, to receive care closer to home and reduce costly and stressful transfers to distant tertiary centres.

Funding comes from individual donors, memorial gifts, corporate contributions, community events, planned giving, and endowments. Over more than three decades, donors have contributed millions of dollars through the foundation to equip Mills Memorial Hospital and Terraceview Lodge. Completed projects documented by the foundation show how contributions are translated directly into equipment purchases that shorten wait times, expand local services, and improve the comfort and safety of patients and residents.

While the foundation does not operate open competitive grant programs in the traditional sense, it functions as a dedicated funding body that receives charitable gifts and allocates them to priority healthcare projects and equipment acquisitions that benefit the regional population.