The 100 Mile District Hospital celebrated the completion of the ED/Triage renovation on June 4 with a gathering that included cake, beverages, and a speech by the donor who helped to make the renovations possible.
Jim McMillan moved to Kamloops eight years ago but was born in Horse Lake in 1927. He has donated to the community and the hospital before, but this was his greatest single contribution in the form of $100,000. The funds were used by the hospital to renovate the ED/Triage area, allowing for the addition of much-needed storage space and optimized patient intake.
McMillan said the Triage renovations have already made a tremendous difference.
“I’d like to thank the people of 100 Mile House for their support,” said McMillan, who explained that he is also a member of the Shriners of B.C. and Yukon. As such, charity is an important focus in his life.
“People in 100 Mile House that turn out for the Shriners’ dinners help us to run our buses and move people around who are in need of treatment.”
Read more: McMillans honoured for generosity to hospital
In the 1970s, McMillan and his wife Sheila donated a large part of their personal shares with Noranda mining company to the Kamloops Hospital and the B.C. Children’s Hospital. Additionally, the McMillans donated 1,000 shares to the South Cariboo, which meant the receipt of $62,000 for their hospital.
McMillan advised that the South Cariboo Health Foundation (SCHF) was not yet established when he and Sheila made their first donations. The SCHF was incorporated as a British Columbia Society in 2002.
Sharon Keen handles Patient Registration at the 100 Mile District Hospital and was thrilled to see the renovations completed.
“I could have retired, but I wanted to see this done,” said Keen. “It’s made a big difference. We have more space and we don’t have cardboard boxes under our desks anymore.”
The renovation has actually been complete for a few weeks, and staff have already noticed a positive difference in the flow of patient intake.
Al Richmond, Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District (CCRHD) vice-chair was also on site for the celebration of the ED/Triage renovation and has been a partner in the renovation project.
raven.nyman@100milefreepress.net
