Thousands of families on Vancouver Island have children with complex health needs. Many need to travel long distances to access care.
The stress and cost associated with these journeys is significant, if not prohibitive. Parents’ time away from work is often a significant financial hit. In the most extreme of cases, delayed care means urgent situations escalate. Children and their families are paying an unthinkable price – all because of geography.
That’s where Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island comes in. Its mission is to support these families along their journeys, making sure that neither cost nor distance stands in the way of a child getting the health care they need.
Formerly known as the Queen Alexandra Foundation for Children’s Health, the charity has a storied history on Vancouver Island going back nearly 100 years.
Today, they’re best known for their Homes Away From Home. Located on hospital campuses, Jeneece Place in Victoria and Q̓ʷalayu House in Campbell River provide welcoming, low-cost accommodation for families who need to travel to access health care for their child. Staying at a home saves them time, money, and allows them to focus on what matters most – their child’s well-being.
More than 500 Vancouver Island families stayed at a Home Away From Home last year alone.
Campbell River parents Ricci and Brian know how important that is.
When their doctor told them during a routine ultrasound that their baby wasn’t growing and they needed to get to Victoria, Ricci and Brian left immediately, and had their baby that very day.
“It was absolutely the scariest day of our lives,” Ricci recalls. “If Jeneece Place wasn’t there for us, I honestly don’t know what we would have done. We were able to be with Emma constantly, and then go back and rest.”
More than 500 Vancouver Island families stayed at a Home Away From Home last year alone, and that proximity to their child in health crisis makes all the difference.
“We can’t change what families are going through, but we can support them along the way, reduce their stress, and ultimately enable better health outcomes for their kids,” explains Veronica Carroll, CEO of the Foundation.
Navigating a child’s complex health journey is overwhelming. And the costs add up fast. But you can help.
From the Foundation’s earliest days in the 1920s to today, their work has been funded exclusively by generous individuals, community organizations, and businesses across Vancouver Island.
Learn more and get involved at islandkidsfirst.com.