2022 Impact Report
Major investments and campaigns
Download Audited Financials
Empowering breakthroughs today, tomorrow and beyond
With donor support, Calgary Health Foundation has several larger, multi-year commitments to advance care in a number of areas of health. While donors have brought our fundraising efforts closer to the finish line, some projects are still in development.
A note on financial reserves:
Calgary Health Foundation’s investments range in size and financial commitment. Revolutionizing health outcomes involves a multilayer approach of smaller incremental investments and larger commitments to establish world-class centres.
Working in partnership with Alberta Health Services on larger capital projects means that Calgary Health Foundation holds restricted dollars in reserve until the project is ready to go forward. The Foundation reimburses expenses on the basis of an established timeline agreement with the final money being transferred at the completion of the project.
Newborns Need
Giving our tiniest patients a fighting chance
$66M
TOTAL
COMMITMENT
Total completed projects funding: $12.7M
Project status: In design
Project completion estimate: 2026 (Foothills Medical Centre NICU)
For many families, the birth of a new child is a joyful, exciting release after nine months of wait and worry. But for others, it’s the beginning of a stressful and uncertain struggle. Nationally, 1 in 10 infants are born prematurely, but in Calgary that number rises to 1 in 8 – meaning that on average over 10 per cent of births require the lifesaving support of the city’s Neonatal Intensive Care Units.
Calgary Health Foundation’s donors have stepped forward to support newborns and their families throughout Southern Alberta with a multifaceted investment in programs, research and infrastructure that span care across Calgary and through pregnancy and into early child development.
The new NICU will advance family-centred care offered to families throughout Southern Alberta and increase the unit’s capacity from 36 beds to 58, including 40 private rooms with 18 beds in three spacious care pods with retractable walls, to accommodate a wide range of care needs for babies and families.
The new unit is under design and expected to break ground in Fall 2022.
Of the total $66M philanthropic commitment, Calgary Health Foundation has pledged $48M to the redevelopment of a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Foothills Medical Centre.
This investment is matched by the Government of Alberta and will be operationalized by Alberta Health Services for a total investment of $152M.
Watch: NICU
New Gastrointestinal (GI) Endoscopy Clinic
Supporting growing demand
$12M
TOTAL
COMMITMENT
Project status: In design
Project completion estimate: 2024
Digestive health is a key indicator of our overall health, providing us with energy for daily life, but according to the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation more than 20 million Canadians suffer from digestive disorders every year. Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders affect the digestive system, namely the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and accessory digestive organs such as the liver, gallbladder and pancreas. They do not discriminate by age, ethnicity or gender.
The investment in the Rockyview GI Endoscopy Clinic will almost double the clinic’s footprint and increase the number of procedure rooms from four to five. The clinic will be able to diagnose and treat some of the most complex cases, as well as see some of the sickest patients, such as acute IBD, those who don’t qualify for the Colon Cancer Screening Centre, patients on anticoagulation medications or those with multiple medical issues.
The clinic is currently in design and scheduled to be complete in late 2024.
A centre of excellence for neurocritical care
Ensuring life-saving intervention
$2.5M
TOTAL
COMMITMENT
Project status: New project
Project completion estimate: 2024
Neurocritical care is a novel field of medicine that has recently emerged out of worldwide research, including studies from southern Alberta, showing that neurocritical care saves lives and is an essential link to the chain of survival and recovery after facing neurological injuries.
Approximately 900 patients per year are admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICUs) with life-threatening nervous system disorders in southern Alberta. These disorders represent between 15 to 20 per cent of the patients being cared for in ICU environments.
This includes patients with acute brain, spinal cord, nerve and muscle injuries from trauma, strokes, cardiac arrests, seizures, infections, and other conditions.
A $2.5M funding opportunity through Calgary Health Foundation will focus on expanding neurocritical care specialty services and will result in a 10 to 15 per cent increase in the odds of survival among patients and a 15 to 20 per cent increase in the chance of patients returning home with minimal disability over the next five years.
The four most common conditions neurocritical care patients suffer are:
- cardiac arrest
- neurological trauma
- strokes and brain bleeds
- severe seizures
The rate of devastating outcomes for patients can vary widely, between
20-70%
75%
of patients with a life-threatening nervous system disorder are under 65
With continued donor support, this project is in progress and growing.