Jim Pattison donates $5M to Kelowna hospital

KELOWNA, BC – A $5 million gift from Jim Pattison (pictured) is the largest donation the KGH Foundation has ever received, and the hospital plans to make the most of the windfall. The Centre for Health System Learning & Innovation aims to reshape the way healthcare is delivered.

The vision is for KGH to find new ways of delivering healthcare across a broad region. “The investment Jim Pattison has made will help us establish a hub for innovation,” said KGH Foundation CEO Allison Young.

“It provides resources to collaborate and determine what the best steps are moving forward and then investment in those steps.”

Pattison, who’s now 95, was unable to attend a public announcement of the donation but shared a pre-recorded video message at the event. “We appreciate the opportunity to support the community of Kelowna,” he said, with a smile. “Congratulations, Kelowna General Hospital.”

KGH research director Dr. Deanne Taylor said the centre will focus on healthcare transformation. “Helping the good ideas through research and innovation spread and scale,” said Taylor.

She said the idea is to make sure that good ideas don’t stay on a shelf. “When you have a good idea you know is good, it’s spreading it in the system for use,” said Taylor, “and that has been across BC and Canada.”

Dr. Devin Harris, the executive medical director at KGH said there can be a significant delay in taking good research and putting it into practice. “It takes a long time for science to get to the point where you actually use it in daily care,” said Dr. Harris.

He said the innovation centre will be different from a typical academic research institute, with a more immediate and practical focus. “To improve care that really matters to the public and community,” he said.

Young said the innovation centre will also help draw some incredibly talented healthcare professionals to Kelowna. “It’s only just one more building block to building the best hospital and providing the best care,” she said.