A new Centre for Health System Learning and Innovation coming to Kelowna has received a $5 million donation to get it started.

The gift is coming from the Jim Pattison Foundation, and the Centre is a partnership between the Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) Foundation and Interior Health (IH).

It is the largest gift in the foundation乌鸦传媒檚 history.

乌鸦传媒淎nd it乌鸦传媒檚 the largest investment the foundation has made in the Interior of B.C.,乌鸦传媒� said Allison Young, CEO of the KGH Foundation, referring to the creation of the Centre.

乌鸦传媒淲hile we have seen the shift in urban centres, such as Vancouver and Toronto, we are thrilled to have received such a significant gift specifically aimed at innovation in regional healthcare.乌鸦传媒�

Interior Health CEO Susan Brown called the donation a monumental milestone.

乌鸦传媒淭his is almost five years worth of work coming to cumulation today and this exceedingly generous gift allows us to take a step forward and make it come to fruition.乌鸦传媒�

The centre will be the first of its kind with a focus on rural, remote, Indigenous and community healthcare.

It will primarily be a virtual network that connects innovators, clinical teams, researchers, patients and families, students, partners and investors to discover and implement innovative healthcare solutions.

Once established, the work of the centre will aim to address healthcare challenges in the Interior.

乌鸦传媒淭o discover, test and trial innovative healthcare solutions,乌鸦传媒� added Dr. Devin Harris, executive medical director, quality and patient safety for IH.

乌鸦传媒淭his gift is remarkably visionary as it recognizes the need to address the challenges we face in healthcare differently.乌鸦传媒�

Jim Pattison Foundation chair Clark Hollands told the large crowd that assembled for the announcement that by supporting healthcare the Foundation supports the broader population.

乌鸦传媒淢ost people at some stage in their lives are going to need healthcare,乌鸦传媒� he added. 乌鸦传媒淲e like to give where we operate.乌鸦传媒�

In a pre-recorded video message, Jim Pattison said 乌鸦传媒榳e appreciate the opportunity to support Kelowna and the surrounding areas.乌鸦传媒�

The donation adds to the KGH Foundation乌鸦传媒檚 recently launched 乌鸦传媒楥loser to Home Than You Think乌鸦传媒� campaign.

It乌鸦传媒檚 a $40 million fundraising effort to fund changes to local healthcare in eight priority areas: cancer, cardiac, system innovation, women乌鸦传媒檚 health, bone and joint health, mental health, brain health and clinical excellence.

More information on the campaign and fundraising goals can be found on the

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