Role of the Saanich Peninsula Hospital & Healthcare Foundation in the funding ecosystem
The Saanich Peninsula Hospital & Healthcare Foundation (SPHHF) is an independent charitable foundation created in 1985 by local citizens to support Saanich Peninsula Hospital and broader community healthcare on the Saanich Peninsula and Southern Gulf Islands. The Foundation raises and deploys donor funds to purchase medical equipment, modernize facilities, expand services and support innovative models of care so that residents can access high‑quality healthcare close to home.
Since its formation, SPHHF reports having raised more than $92.2 million for equipment, facilities and programs at the hospital. Each year the Board selects priority projects as fundraising targets, often tied to an annual campaign. Past campaigns have funded new operating rooms and a sterilization department, a dedicated day surgery unit, upgrades to the Emergency Department and imaging services, long‑term care renovations, therapy programs, and expansion of primary care and community clinics.
Types of funding and supported initiatives
The Foundation primarily provides capital and program funding rather than individual patient grants. Donor dollars are used to:
- Purchase or upgrade diagnostic and surgical equipment such as X‑ray systems, echocardiography ultrasound, operating tables and monitoring equipment.
- Renovate and expand hospital spaces including operating rooms, day surgery, palliative and extended care units, long‑term care, labs and specialized departments.
- Support new models of primary care delivery through partnerships, for example with Shoreline Medical Society for clinic renovations, equipment and start‑up costs.
- Enhance quality of life in long‑term care via therapy programs (music, art, horticulture), memory gardens, activity technologies and accessible outdoor spaces.
- Provide professional development and education opportunities for hospital staff, with particular attention to palliative and extended care staff.
- Help address physician shortages through incentive programs and ongoing support for family physicians covering Doctor of the Day shifts at the hospital.
General approach to funding and impact
SPHHF concentrates its support on “areas of greatest need” as identified with hospital leadership and community partners. Rather than operating an open call grant program, it runs focused campaigns around clearly defined objectives such as improving surgical capacity, preparing for pandemics, expanding youth and family clinics, or modernizing long‑term care. The Foundation emphasizes efficiency, keeping administrative costs relatively low so that the majority of contributions go directly to health services and infrastructure.
Audited financial statements are published annually to demonstrate transparency and allow donors to review how funds are allocated. Narrative reports on past campaigns describe concrete outcomes achieved with donor support, such as increased surgical capacity, improved infection control, more family physicians in the community, and enriched daily life for residents in long‑term care.
Supported audiences and community reach
The Foundation’s funding benefits a wide range of people: hospital inpatients and outpatients, residents in long‑term and extended care, families using local primary care clinics, and healthcare professionals who receive upgraded facilities, tools and education. Its geographic focus is tightly centred on the Saanich Peninsula and Southern Gulf Island communities, ensuring that charitable investments respond to local health priorities and create visible, measurable improvements in care.