Accessible Care
We are all entitled to healthcare and require access to it in order to sustain us and help us live our best lives. At Victoria Hospital Foundation, we believe in fostering accessible care here at Victoria Hospital and across our community. Our vision of accessible healthcare is rooted in inclusivity and compassion, which is why we are passionate about reducing age-related and mental health stigma through education and awareness. We want to remove barriers to timely care and support to ensure people in our community can engage with the services they need, when and where they need them. Through improved use of space, technologies, equipment, resources, and information we seek to enhance health and safety at our hospital and in our community.
Victoria Lifeline
For more than 35 years, we have supported safe and independent living across Manitoba through our community partner Victoria Lifeline. Victoria Lifeline's fall detection technology helps to reduce hospital visits and hospital stays, thus saving healthcare resources. Through their Subsidy Program, Victoria Lifeline provides medical alarms to eligible individuals to remove income as a barrier to receiving this potentially life-saving service.
Urgent Care
Victoria Hospital's Urgent Care department provides coordinated and focused care for non-life-threatening health concerns 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Patients benefit from more privacy, less noise, and a more comfortable environment. The Urgent Care department is home to the Manitoba Blue Cross Mental Health Assessment Unit, a dedicated space for our community to receive individualized mental health assessments and care in a private and supportive environment. Through this integrated model, training is provided to the Mental Health Crisis Response Team that assists in the in-patient units to expand and provide services in this new unit, thereby increasing capacity.
"I would have been a goner if it wasn't for Victoria Lifeline. Instead of lying there in extreme pain and possibly bleeding out... I pressed my button and five minutes later the first responders were there. Victoria Lifeline has paid for itself many times over. I've lived an extra five years so far because of it."
- Helen, age 88
Community Partnerships
By working in close collaboration with community partners, we can expand access to care and build a healthier community. In partnership with Victoria Lifeline, we offer annual Healthy Community Partnership Grants to local organizations to support the creation or enhancement of opportunities for health promotion among older adults.
Following the onset of the pandemic, we were proud to launch a one-time Community Leveraging Technology For Innovation (CLTI) grant program to help local non-profit organizations focused on mental health and the care of older adults to implement digital adaptations in order to provide better access to information and support. These organizations play a vital role in the delivery of care and improving their digital capacity helps to connect more individuals with the information and supports they need, which in turn strengthens our overall healthcare system ad has a positive impact on hospitals like Victoria Hospital.
Together, we can ensure accessible care is available for our family, friends, and neighbours when needed. Your gift in support of one of our Accessible Care initiatives below or to the Area of Greatest Need is opening doors and breaking down barriers here at Victoria Hospital and across our community.
