As we honour all the wonderful moms, caregivers, and amazing individuals this Mother’s Day, it’s also notable to remember the pivotal role women’s health plays in all our lives and in the foundation of our society. Caring for moms and babies is at the heart of BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre (BCWH); it is also the focus of the important work of BC Women’s Health Foundation (BCWHF), the only organization in BC fully dedicated to funding women’s health.
“Through our Foundation, we are continuing to build a strong and dedicated community of like-minded individuals who want to affect change, positively impacting BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre and the Women’s Health Research Institute, while coming together in a philanthropic way to support women’s health,” explains Cally Wesson, the President + CEO of BC Women’s Health Foundation. In her role, Wesson is committed to bringing the health community and philanthropists together to create innovation and foster advancements in women’s health, making life-changing differences now and in the future.
Since 1995, philanthropy has enabled BCWHF to support initiatives at BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre. BCWH is the only women’s hospital in British Columbia, serving approximately 70,000 patients annually through more than 60 specialized clinics and programs devoted to the health of women and newborns. BC Women’s Hospital is responsible for the only Level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the largest in the province. The BCWH NICU team is a national and global leader, compromised of specialized expertise in neonatal care. They provide the highest level of advanced neonatal care for the most critically ill and premature infants in BC and the Yukon.
BCWHF is responsible for funding BCWH’s new approaches and state-of-the-art technology that impact women across all life stages. This includes looking after the issues affecting women in childbearing years, providing life-saving and life-changing neonatal care and offering new solutions to the complex needs of midlife and mature women’s health (such as menopause, perimenopause and post menopause), as well as championing critical mental health initiatives, and much more. With the support of our donor community, BCWHF helps fund transformative advancement in women’s and newborn health at BC Women’s Hospital. This empowers women and families from across the province to receive the best possible care.
Additionally, advancements in women’s health would not be possible without the trailblazing efforts of the Women’s Health Research Institute (WHRI). BC Women’s Health Foundation works with WHRI to foster change through landmark research, bringing BC to the forefront of the future of women’s health. A unique advantage is having the research institute on site at BCWH, enabling real-time implementation of research findings into clinical care.
Former BCWH patient Maria Kim knows the impact of Foundation funding of the BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre NICU. After delivering her twins prematurely by emergency C-section in 2023, one of the babies required surgery for a duodenal atresia blockage of the intestine. The baby first had to get up to an appropriate surgical weight before the surgeons at BC Women’s Hospital were able to operate, and the twins were admitted to the BCWH NICU for weeks of specialized care. The operation was a success, and the twins are now thriving. This is just one example of how BC Women’s Health Foundation is making an impactful difference to moms and babies in our community.
One important and timely example of how the WHRI and BC Women’s Health Foundation are making a profound impact is the rollout of life-changing cervical self-screening kits to detect the presence of the human papillomavirus (HPV), the leading cause of cervical cancer. In conjunction with BC Cancer, who led the rollout, these kits are now available provincewide and free of charge in BC, the first province in Canada to do so, thanks in part to years of research, clinical trials and pilot programs funded by BC Women’s Health Foundation.
With the continued support of donors, BC Women’s Health Foundation leads the way to fund transformative advancements in the full spectrum of women’s health, empowering women and families from across the province to receive the best quality care.
Listen to Cally Wesson, President + CEO of BC Women’s Health Foundation’s, episode on the Nicola Wealth Women’s LEAD podcast:
