PRESS RELEASE from the Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation

Gravel parking lots, worn signs marking the entrance to an abandoned office, and paint pealing beneath an incandescent glow mark the source for the latest purchase of medical equipment for Kootenay Lake Hospital.

As Cold Rock Productions was firming up locations for its ‘The Tall Man’ feature film, they came across the former Mount St. Francis Hospital. They approached Interior Health to see what could be done to use some Hollywood magic and turn the former residential site into an abandoned mine building that would serve as the backdrop for portions of the feature film. A deal was struck and filming at Mount St. Francis took place this fall. Rather than use the rent to fund internal operations, Interior Health asked Cold Rock Productions to pass the arranged $22,000 rent directly to the Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation.

“The foundation has done an amazing job this past year with the CT campaign and we know their current work is dedicated to supporting the new KLH Emergency Department,” said IH board chair Norman Embree. “This was a one-time opportunity and we knew that giving them the money was a great way to ensure it had a direct benefit for local health care. As an added bonus, providing the location we have in Nelson and keeping the filming in the local area had other economic benefits to the broader community. It was a win-win for everyone.”

Pat Dooley, the recently elected chair of the local Foundation, added:  “We were so busy this year that we had no idea the IHA had arranged this. This is a tremendous gesture. We’re really looking forward to seeing the movie.”

She explained that the foundation and local KLH management negotiate a priority equipment list each year and will select an item for immediate purchase for one of the many departments at the hospital.

In other major donation news, during the Nelson and District Credit Union 60 year celebrations on Tuesday, Nov. 16, the local financial institution passed along the final installment to a major partnership on the CT Scanner campaign. To hit the $1 million milestone in that campaign they donated $60,000 earlier in the campaign with a promise to provide $2,000 more for every new mortgage up until the past week’s anniversary date. That led to the maximum donation of another $40,000.

“Both of these gestures were very creative ways to turn business opportunities  into  a community opportunity. One became a cornerstone for our CT campaign and the other will go toward the direct purchase of other priority medical equipment at KLH. It’s been a good month,” says Brian May, a director with the foundation.

The Foundation will kick off its annual Light Up the Hospital campaign before the end of November.