Fundraising for public institutions
February 28, 2008 | 12:00 PM
Loralee Edwards
I was just watching the news that featured a story about the latest “dream home” lottery to support hospital's needs.
When I was younger I don't remember hearing about many “dream home” lotteries, but now it seems that almost all public hospitals are forced to create fund raising departments to buy 'critical equipment.' Why do our hospitals and public institutions need to raise money to buy critical equipment? Why is our government not supporting these institutions and the important technology they require?
I live in southern Alberta in the Chinook Health Region. In 2007, the Chinook Regional Health Foundation held a lottery to raise funds for "the i-Suite, or integrated operating room technology, [which] will provide surgeons with state-of-the art equipment in an ideal operating room layout. The set-up and equipment is especially beneficial for minimally invasive surgeries. Significant benefits for patients, surgeons and the CHR will result in improved patient safety, shortened lengths of stay... [and] a major advantage for retaining and recruiting surgical specialists."
Providing "critical" and "state of the art" equipment will lower wait lists, provide improved patient safety AND it will also improve on the retention and recruitment of surgical specialists. Uh, isn't that what the government has been saying they want to do?
Schools are now forced to engage in large-scale fundraisers including lotteries to raise funds. Schools are not allowed to fundraise for text books — but are able to for art, music and field trips because (according to the Alberta government website) “these are not essential — rather they are "extras."
The (necessary) trend of schools fundraising for programs such as music, art, field trips and sports is a result of the government downloading the financial problem to schools, and in turn parents.
The responsibility of parents to fundraise for their children's schools adds an extra burden. Parents, particularly single parents, have a hard enough time juggling work and child care, never mind having the time or the energy to go and make big money for the school.
