A donation of $30,000 was made to the Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation towards the purchase of a vital piece of cardiac equipment from the Courtenay Legion鈥檚 Poppy Trust Fund.

This gift will support the purchase of the echocardiogram 鈥� a heart ultrasound that will enable cardiologists to accurately assess and diagnose the best path of patient care. Over the past 23 years, the Courtenay Legion has contributed more than $250,000 to support healthcare in the Comox Valley. The generosity of the Legion has positively impacted areas of care such as rehab services, long-term care, heart and lung testing, surgical services, the emergency department and cancer care.

The Legion鈥檚 generous support of the echocardiogram 鈥� one of the most widely used diagnostic imaging modalities in cardiology at the Comox Valley Hospital 鈥� will provide superior cardiac imaging to 140 patients each week (6,500+ annually).

This care is both for patients who are in hospital receiving acute care, and members of the community needing cardiac images to inform treatment plans. The Comox Valley Hospital is the only site that provides echocardiograms to children across the North Island. On average, two to three children every week require this testing at our hospital.

鈥淭he mission of the Royal Canadian Legion is to serve veterans, including serving military and RCMP members and their families, to promote Remembrance, and to serve our communities and our country,鈥� said Courtenay Legion president Barbara Linton. 鈥淥ur Legion is very proud to support healthcare in our community.鈥�

鈥淭he Courtenay Legion has been one of our biggest community partners for many years and we are so very grateful for the support they provide to healthcare in our community,鈥� said Rhonda Stevens, veteran and director of Partnerships & Collaboration for the CVHF. 鈥淭he number of people the Courtenay Legion has helped over the years through their wonderful generosity is heartwarming. Service clubs such as the Courtenay Legion do so much to support our veterans, their families and our community. On behalf of the Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation, I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to Courtenay Legion Branch 17 for their generous support. Thank you.鈥�