The Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation got some good news from a recent online poll that showed support for hospital expansion and interest in donating to the foundation in the future.
"We're delighted that Eagle Ridge Hospital ranks so highly in terms of community profile," said Charlene Giovannetti?King, the foundation's executive director, in a press release. "At the same time, there's also a big opportunity - over half the community - to engage with and raise funds for the hospital."
Two online surveys conducted by Insights West between Sept. 13 and Oct. 14 found a high level of awareness of the hospital (77%) and respondents had a positive view of the Port Moody facility (13% gave it a 9 out of 10 and a further 52% rated it with a 7 or 8). Another 51% of those responding said they had visited the hospital that year, and 28% saying they received treatment themselves.
While only 15% said they had donated to the foundation in the past, 32% said they were interested in donating in the future and 51% said they wanted more information about the foundation.
Support for hospital expansion was high, with 56% of survey respondents stating they would "strongly" support construction of a larger facility to serve the Tri-Cities.
In all, 631people participated in the survey, considered a "representative sample."
A site plan for a larger ERH has been developed and is available for viewing on the Fraser Health website, but no funds have been committed.
ERH foundation was established in 1982 and has raised more than $19 million for hospital equipment, programs and facilities. It also promotes professional development of hospital staff by awarding educational scholarship research grants. More information about the foundation is available at www.erhf.ca.
