By Darren Rathwell

Pandemic a plus for local health-care agency

Oct 18, 2021 | 5:31 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Despite the ongoing difficulties COVID-19 is posing for health care, there’s one local agency that’s found the pandemic to actually have been a plus.

The Medicine Hat & District Health Foundation works to support the health-care system in a number of ways, such as buying a washing machine for Medicine Hat Regional Hospital’s psychiatric unit.

But foundation executive director Heather Bach says the attention the pandemic has put on health care has made connections between her agency and the health-care community stronger.

“There’s over 2,000 people who report to work for Alberta Health Services in Medicine Hat. So having 2,000 people understand who the health foundation is and how we’re here to help them has been a challenge and this has helped us strengthen that,” Bach told CHAT News.

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Relying on donations from the community, the foundation usually brings in $1 million a year, and Bach says donations this year have been stable.

However, she says new donors have also reached out to the foundation during the pandemic.

Mental health is a main focus for the agency right now.