The Victoria Hospitals Foundation has received one of the largest donations in its history — $5 million from the Wilson S.C. Lai Trust.
Of that, $3 million will go to support critical care, including Victoria General Hospital’s first high acuity unit, designed to provide intermediate care between the intensive-care and acute-care units. Such units allow staff to respond quicker to surges in case numbers caused by illnesses such as influenza and COVID-19, and are also used for patients recovering from surgery or severe respiratory distress.
Royal Jubilee Hospital already has a high acuity unit — to which the Lai family contributed $590,000 — leaving Victoria General as the only tertiary-care hospital in B.C. without one. Tertiary hospitals provide a higher level of care than community facilities, generally from specialists and specialized programs.
The rest of the Lai donation will support priority equipment needs identified by the foundation, as well as the Lai Family Scholarship Fund. The fund has helped 325 Island Health employees advance their education since 2013. Many nurses who have benefited joined the family this week at a ceremony to express their gratitude.
“In all that we do as a family, we are driven by our motto ‘Derived from Society, Giving Back to Society’,” the Lai family said in a statement. “This donation is just that — a gift to the community and to thank our care teams for all they do in support of our community and to continue to establish strong hospitals on the Island.
“We hope others can join us in appreciating our doctors, nurses and health-care teams.”
Wilson Lai left his estate to charitable efforts in Canada and overseas when he died in 2018. The charity started by him and his brothers is linked to their grandparents, who always helped those in need in their village near Guangzhou, in southern China.
The brothers were uprooted during the Chinese Civil War and ran a successful textile business in Hong Kong before moving to Canada, where Wilson had diverse holdings such as City Centre Plaza and Gala Fabrics.
Foundation executive director Avery Brohman called the support of Lai family “philanthropy in its purest form.”
“Future patients will benefit for years from expanded services and equipment that this family has gifted us, and care teams will feel the gratitude and recognition they so deserve,” Brohman said.
Leah Hollins, who chairs the board of Island Health, said the donation from the Lai family will not only make a difference to local hospitals, but will also serve as a reminder to those at Island Health “that the community deeply values their tireless efforts.”
“We are sincerely grateful to the Wilson S.C. Lai Trust for this incredible gift,” Hollins said.
Health Minister Adrian Dix called the family’s generosity “a gift of lifesaving care.”
He added: “This donation will make a big impact in the region, supporting the purchase of even more much-needed hospital equipment to help make our hospitals the best they can be.”
The Lais’ newest donation builds on previous support for the foundation and brings its total donations to date to just over $8 million.
That has included $250,000 to the Equipped to Heal mental-health campaign in 2021 and $1 million for devices used to clean and sterilize surgical equipment in 2020.
Other causes supported by the Lais have included the Mount St. Joseph Hospital in Vancouver and the Victoria Foundation.
The equipment that the Lais’ donation will help to purchase is part of the foundation’s Emerge Stronger Campaign, which aims to fund more than 200 pieces of medical equipment for Victoria General, Royal Jubilee and Gorge Road hospitals. Included are a $1-million blood-analyzing unit to replace a 20-year-old model and neurosurgery equipment costing $318,000 that will bring imaging technology to operating rooms.
The foundation had revenue of about $15 million in 2020-21, with gifts coming from about 5,200 donors. Since 1989, about $163 million has been raised to benefit hospitals.
To donate, visit victoriahf.ca or call 250-519-1750.
