Our Executive Director, Kristy Kerr, was a guest on Doug Nelson’s The Discovery Pod in March, just as we were finding ourselves entering new territory, within our organization and the world.

Doug asked Kristy “What’s motivating those donors to make gifts to this Emergency Response Fund?”

“… a gift to us in our Emergency Response Fund is a gift to support the people of British Columbia. It’s that genuine sense of, ‘I want to give back to help others’… It’s giving [people] that sense of control that they are doing something to make a difference to slow the spread of COVID-19 and ultimately stop this pandemic.”

Reflecting back on those words, and to their conversation, it couldn’t have been more prescient–over 1,000 individuals have donated so far, providing more than $400,000 to support one of the key BC-wide pandemic response projects that will help our public health experts understand, prevent, and prepare for future waves of COVID-19.

We understood early on that the world was changing; and we knew that people wanted to help, to have some control over a very uncontrollable situation. So to all our donors, we are grateful for your support, we appreciate all the kind messages, and you are a major part of the success we have seen in BC.

To those who have championed evidence-based information, we see you, we feel a connection to you, and we thank you. To the staff team and Board of Directors at the Foundation, to all the amazing people we have the privilege to work with at the BCCDC, and to Dr Bonnie Henry and BC’s political leadership, we express our gratitude.

To everyone in BC who is playing their part, we’re immensely grateful to all of you. The collectivity of our individual actions has made a visible, population-level difference. We’re watching British Columbians take actions to protect broader society; we’re watching Activate Health in action.

To all those who’ve played a role, we appreciate you. This is your success.

Thanks to our collective leadership, good decision-making at the right times, dedicated experts and the public, and a little dose of luck, we’re in a place we can be proud of and grateful for. But BC: we’re not done yet. While we’ve seen incredible success in BC, we need to remain cautious, vigilant, prepared, and aware. And it’s imperative we continue to invest in research that will keep us safe in the future. We at the Foundation are committed to that, and we’re all-in. We hope you remain all-in with us.

Check out our COVID-19 resource page for resources, infographics, and information on how you can help.

The post COVID-19: Our Shared Experience, Our Shared Success appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

Donations to the Emergency Response Fund will go towards understanding and preventing the spread of COVID-19 now, and be available for future outbreaks or emergencies. By making a gift to this fund, you’ll be helping address the most pressing public health needs to keep you and your community safe and healthy.

This fund will enable experts to protect our province by providing funding for things like:

• Research to understand and address the threat as it’s happening in real-time;
• Equipment and lab technology needed for testing and analyzing samples;
• Additional expert staff to carry out time-sensitive work and projects;
• Logistics, data management, data visualizations, and knowledge translation to ensure that experts across the spectrum can work together seamlessly and with the tools they need;
• And more, as the situation develops.

You can make a difference in preventing the spread of this outbreak and protecting the health of our population by making a gift to our Emergency Response Fund. Help us meet the rapidly-evolving needs in this global health emergency today. Your donation will assist experts at the BC Centre for Disease Control and elsewhere take action today that will keep us safe tomorrow.

All donations of $20 or more are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.
Should you require assistance making your gift, or have questions, please contact us at donate@bccdcfoundation.org or (604) 707-2415.

For the latest up-to-date information on the coronavirus outbreak, check the BC Centre for Disease Control. And, to learn about how to protect yourself from getting sick, use evidence-based information accessible from the BCCDC.

The post Emergency Response Fund appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

January 28, 2020

Health Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry held a press conference at the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) today to announce the first presumptive positive case of the novel coronavirus, 2019-nCOV, in British Columbia.

The BCCDC Public Health Laboratory (PHL) tested a sample that was confirmed positive late on January 27, 2019. This case is classified as a “presumptive positive” because the sample is now being sent to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg for confirmation. Based on the affected individual’s symptoms and recent travel, and the accuracy of the BCCDC PHL’s testing, there is high confidence in the results.

Dr Henry emphasized that risk to the general public of BC remains very low, but that healthcare workers across the province are working diligently to monitor, test, and care for the population. The best ways for the public to protect themselves are with regular hand washing, coughing and sneezing into a tissue or your elbow, and not touching your face (especially your mouth and nose), and staying home when sick.

When accessing information about this new virus, we encourage you to use reputable sources and to avoid rumors spread on the internet and through social media. The BCCDC will be issuing periodic updates as more information comes in, and is your most trusted source of information for coronavirus in BC.

Emerging Areas Priority

As the charitable partner of the BCCDC, we support important public health projects and initiatives that keep our population safe. You can play a role in protecting the health of our population by making a tax-deductible donation to our Emerging Areas Priority.

Funding to our Emerging Areas Priority provides both the flexibility and rapid response that is necessary to address public health threats immediately, when they arise. That type of rapid response is what keeps British Columbians and Canadians safe and healthy. Make your gift to Emerging Areas today.

The post First Novel Coronavirus Case in BC appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.