Kamloops cancer centre business plan needed to jumpstart fundraising campaigns

KAMLOOPS — Seven weeks ago, Minister Adrian Dix provided hope that a cancer care centre will finally open in Kamloops on the grounds of Royal Inland Hospital. A business plan is promised to be completed by year’s end to rocket the project forward. That plan is a key missing cog for foundations to begin the process of fundraising.

“We are so excited that a new cancer centre is coming to Kamloops. This will be a huge benefit to this community. Every year, there are 6,000 new cancer diagnoses in the Interior and 1,000 of them will be treated at the new B.C. Cancer Kamloops,” said BC Cancer Foundation President Sarah Roth.

Both the BC Cancer Foundation and the local Royal Inland Hospital Foundation are waiting to find out exactly how much they may need to raise to help push the project over the top.

“We are obviously in the preparation stages. We are looking at what other cities have had to raise money for,” said RIH Foundation CEO Heidi Coleman. “We have been asked by a few donors who are holding their money, saying, ‘Do you need money for radiation?’ We know we are getting an MRI, a CT simulator and three linear accelerators in there, which is just fantastic. Will we be asked to pay for equipment? We’re unsure.”

While uncertainty around specifics remains, Roth that a local campaign from the BC Cancer Foundation should be coming down the pipeline in the near future.

“We look forward to engaging the Kamloops community and fundraising for the new BC Cancer Kamloops to ensure we have the most state of the art equipment… as well as clinical trials will come here which advances treatment. It is very exciting,” said Roth.

With work beginning behind the scenes on the new cancer care clinic, Coleman is working to tackle other issues currently affecting health care locally, like attracting and retaining health care workers.

“We do need more supportive care here at RIH. We need more social workers, drug navigators. We also need more oncologists. I spoke with BC Cancer Agency and I said we need to lure people to Kamloops and of course we are competing with Ontario where oncologists are getting paid more than in B.C.,” said Coleman.

Before a local campaign kicks off, the BC Cancer Foundation is working on its biggest fundraising initiative in history, hoping to raise $500 million province-wide.

“Research is the key to driving that innovation, to ensure the most precise cancer treatment. B.C. Cancer Foundation, we have donors all over the province and their funding helps all British Columbians with research. Then when we have local project like the new BC Cancer Kamloops we look forward to rallying the community to support to ensure that local cancer centre has the most state of the art technology,” added Roth.

The first patients are scheduled to be treated at the new cancer centre in Kamloops in 2027.