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Welcome to Harbouring Hope, a podcast brought to you by the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation, hosted by Foundation CEO Barney Ellis-Perry.
In each episode, we’ll take you behind the scenes of the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, Oceanside Health Centre, and other facilities supported by our Foundation to explore the many departments, innovations, and dedicated professionals who keep our healthcare system running. From doctors and nurses to administrative leaders and patients with lived experience, we’ll hear powerful stories that reveal both the challenges and the triumphs within our hospital walls.
Most importantly, we’ll shine a light on the critical role our community plays…because behind every success story is a network of generous supporters helping to make it all possible.
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Thank you.
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that I could see that I s I'm seeing and experiencing within this hospital with this sort of new wave of energy is i it it it really amplifies not just the financial donations but also sort of how physicians are engaging and showing up. So in my mind it we are really changing the culture right from one where we're creative and we're collaborative and we're being really curious about what's needed. It's a very cool time. I mean it's also it's hard and it's lots of work but
It's a different way of building health care.
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This is Harboring Hope, the podcast that takes you inside the unique challenges and exciting opportunities facing healthcare in Central and North Vancouver Island. I'm Barney Ellis Perry, your host and CEO of the Nanaimon District Hospital Foundation. I'll be with you as we hear stories from the front lines of our healthcare facilities and from people whose generous time and donations support the ongoing improvements of healthcare in our community.
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Today on the podcast, we're talking about some of the most exciting things happening on our front lines. We're talking about innovation. Here at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, austerity is what drives that innovation. Believe it or not, healthcare disparities have fostered a positive forward-thinking culture that attracts talent and encourages creative approaches to building programs our community needs. In fact, our region is one of the most exciting places to be for the healthcare professionals who want a chance to bring new ideas that can help transform the way we deliver care.
Joining us today to tell us about exciting initiatives like the Nanaimo Tertiary Program Incubator is NRGH executive medical director Kelly Cox. And of course, innovation would not be possible without the generous support of donors and engaged business leaders in our community. Colin Stansfield from the Nanaimo Prosperity Corporation is also here to tell us why it's important to invest in these kinds of transformative healthcare initiatives. Kelly's got a lot in her play today, so let's get started.
Well, good morning, Kelly. Thank you so much for joining us. I know you have fifty thousand things going on and as we were getting ready here you said you'd only have time for one bite of granola. That's so is that how you judge your days? Like it's a one bite day or it's like a whole bowl of granola day. Is that sort of is that your standard? Yeah, I'm I'm trying as I do this job, right? How do I how do I take care of of myself while I take care of the system and the people in it? So it's it's a balance for sure. But yes, you're right. Today is one bite so far. One bite, okay.
But I've I've been impressed sometimes because you'll even between meetings, you'll go for a run. Like you'll go out and exercise and which is amazing. Yeah, Barney. I mean I I I care so much about the work I'm doing. I really have to force myself to take breaks and to catch my breath. Every once in a while there's a set of stairs. I'll go run some stairs and listen to some good music and Yeah. Right and have fun. That's awesome. I think that's one of the interesting things in this field is like being a healthcare executive can kill you. You see a lot of people who
aren't able or I don't know, don't take care of themselves in the same way. And that's not good for anybody. Yeah, Barney, I mean, I I totally agree. I think this job has been the hardest thing I've ever done. And I've never felt in my life that I'm you know, more that I'm in the right path. I really feel like I'm doing the right work in the world and really feel called to to living a life of service. And I care so much about this place and this people and where we're going. And I think I have some unique skills.
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And I want to be in it for the long run. As long as I'm helpful and relevant and making a difference and and people want me in this work, I don't want to burn out. Every once in a while I fall apart and I bring my humanness everywhere with me. and I think that that's that's helpful at times, right? For people to understand this is hard, right? This is hard work we're doing. We're having to make hard decisions and and have hard conversations, but yet it's the work we need to do here in Nanaimo. And I'm absolutely honored to have the privilege to do it.
Yeah, I've feel I said to someone the other day, like this feels more like a cause than a job for me. The discrepancy of healthcare between Central and North Island is so insane. And how do we deal with that? And that's a really big issue for me. I'm something I'm really aware of. So yeah, it's it's a big deal. Now a lot of folks probably don't under and I don't know if I fully understand what the medical director role is. And I'm wondering if you could
Maybe shed some light on that. And of course, if there's a TV show you can share an analogy with, then people will really understand it. That would be great. Yeah. So I'm a pediatrician by training. So take care of children. And now in my executive medical director role, I'm responsible for sort of medical operations for the hospital and the community. And so you're right. New Amsterdam is what I what I think of. And that's okay. There you go. My favorite show. Yeah, right. And my uncle made me a hat that said, How can I help?
because that's what I feel is my job. How can I help? So I mean, fundamentally what I feel my job is to help us steer the ship of healthcare where we need it to go. And so understanding how the system's changing, what do we need here locally, and how do we get there, and making the the path easier for the providers who need to be able to do that work.
And day to day, it's sometimes navigating the complexities, it's hearing out physicians for the challenges, you know, it's forming those relationships with providers in South Island who who maybe haven't understood what we do up here and why it's important that we bring care closer to home. And I I really feel that we're ready to do this work up here, right? A lot of we're we're doing this hard tertiary care work up here, but in a lot of ways, in a disorganized and chaotic way. So the other thing I feel
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my job is to do is is to sort of organize and and plan and to help people see where we're going and to sort of show them that path. Not in a a top down approach that says, this is how you're doing it, this is what your day will look like, but more this is where we're going. How do you think we should get there? What do you need me to put in place? What supports do you need so that we can go there? Because this is what our community and our patients need.
You're like the ultimate perfect person to have here right now, as we are the only project in British Columbia to be greenlit for concept planning for the patient tower. And so I think my impression is for the first time in a long time, we're starting to see a glimmer of hope that we are gonna get at least the physical infrastructure we need. And you're helping us and we're partnering together on building the medical infrastructure we need, attracting the people we need in order to
bring that physical infrastructure to life because it means nothing if we get a new patient tower, but we don't have the programs to put into it. Yeah, and that's exactly it, Bernie, right? Like would you and I want a new tower here right away? Yes, absolutely. We need the space now. We need the programs now. We need the CAT lab now. Having said that, we don't have the the processes and the people in place to be able to to do that work. So that's what I see as part of my job, figuring out how do we build a cardiology program? What does that look like?
What supports do we have to put in place? Who do we have to recruit? Yeah, you're exactly right. And I I mean, I I do think I'm a good person for this work. I I bring some different skills than than others may have, because physicians aren't necessarily trained to do this type of work. But No. I d No. No. I definitely feel that And that seems so unfair. Like you're not trained for management and budgets and HR and all the craziness that probably takes up eighty percent of your day. Mm-hmm.
And I think I I knew I was, you know, I had some skills for leadership when I would get so frustrated in my pediatric office with the patient in front of me who was who was struggling. And and all I really had was, you know, sort of a diagnostic manual and a prescription pad. And I could see all around that child and that family the system problems that we needed to address. And I think that that's what we need, right? We need to look at the entire system and understand where we need to make changes and how we move that forward.
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And so that's sort of the the work that I'm excited to do, right? Is okay, how do we actually build a cardiology program here? We haven't been successful in the past. We've seen many, many cardiologists come here and then leave. And so understanding that so that we can build a program here has been really interesting and exciting. I love it. What's sort of right now like on your radar are the specific healthcare gaps in the Naimo that are pushing you to rethink how care is delivered?
Yeah, so our hospitalist group, they take care of the patients when they get admitted with a medical problem. They've done a really great job over the last years to build that up. So we're just looking for physicians to join that group. The next challenge we faced is our internal medicine program and building up that group in a way that they're able to take care of the more complex patients that get admitted to the hospital. And then the next phase is to build it up so that they can take care of the patients before they come into hospital so we can prevent admissions. So those are the two current gaps. And then I see
the next gap is around our subspecialty services. So our focuses right now are on cardiology and neurology and then we're looking at gastroenterology and you know hematology and other programs so that when patients are sick with specific problems, we have the specialists here who can consult and provide advice on them. Yeah. That's fantastic. Can you talk a little bit about some of the innovative tertiary care initiatives that link to that that we're doing here?
For sure. So it's been really exciting to work with you guys at the foundation to to start to be innovative, right? To understand some of those questions about why do physicians show up in Nanaimo ready to work and then and then either leave the community or leave the hospital. And so the incubator project has been a really fun way to start dreaming about how we're gonna support our physicians to build the programs that we need here. And so the idea is this is a shared space where we can bring various physicians and support them as they're building their programs.
To identify what we need here for patients, build that, and then sort of have a trajectory for, okay, where do we go next? So it's a place where we can play a little bit with understanding what services, what clinics, what specialties, who do we need more of, what's that gonna look like in a real time way to support the needs of patients rather than understanding today what we're gonna need in three years because things are gonna change. So building it in a really dynamic, innovative way that
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Then really supports the providers who come, ultimately supporting the patients in the community. For example, what we see a lot of is patients coming in with COPD exacerbation. So that's breathing difficulties, they're struggling. So then as we identify that as patients are coming in with these challenges, the next step is to say, hey, what do we need upstream of that? What services or supports could we put in place to support these people before they get so sick that they need to come into hospital?
That's the idea. We're gonna bring providers in to do that on the ground work, front lines, see what's coming through our doors at the hospital, and then think creatively, okay, what else do we need in our community to support these people so they don't have to get to the hospital? And I think it's a cool model because I think it allows the people who come here to feel that they have a stake in our future, that they're not just being handed an order sheet. And that must be, I think, helpful hopefully in your recruitment. I think we attract a certain type of
of folks who want to come here. Yeah, Barney, I think that that's exactly it. So I then that's what I talk to people about, right? We want you to come here and understand our community, understand our system, and then use your specialty and your expertise to build out what we need the program to look like, both in the hospital and then outside of the hospital. So it's really innovative. I don't think I I've heard of anyone else doing this anywhere, but sort of supporting it in this really clear, transparent way where we're building
the services to meet the patient needs as the patients are presenting. So I think it's really exciting and and providers that I've started talking to about are really excited about it. And I think it also holds us accountable to building services that are in fact serving the community. You know, sometimes we see providers who come and they're interested in a particular thing, which is beautiful and wonderful, but might be, you know, sort of off of what actually we need in Nanaimo. So I think it really
Allows us to build these programs with everyone in mind, physician interest, expertise, patient needs, hospital supports. And when you describe that, it's something that rings in my head, which is your co-lead Damien says, which is austerity is driving innovation at NRGH. And I think that's really interesting. Like you said, no one else is doing this tertiary incubator concept, but austerity is driving innovation. And I love that. It seems very anaymal.
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Yeah, I would agree. And I think physicians would say, like, okay, this is this is what we need and we're gonna build it. Here's all the thousands of resources and the millions of dollars and this is what we need to serve this patient population. Instead, we're saying, come work here, see what it's like, see what we need, and then build it out to meet those needs. Because we all know in the current fiscal and political environment, the first is not a reality. and and
And and sort of even if it is a reality, might serve a very small group of patients. And there may be opportunities for that in the future. We're not gonna turn away if someone's coming to us and gonna offer us significant supports to build out programs for specific patient populations, but we really want to be creative in ways that's really tied to the needs of the community. It will have huge impact. I think that's what's neat, again, because we're this sort of austerity environment. Like when we do these things, I think they have a lot more impact. Like a lot of donors say to us, I can give to all different places.
But by giving to you guys, I feel like my money has greater impact. It goes further. You need it more. People notice. and that's I think really exciting. Well, I would totally agree, Bernie. Like the the the hope that I could see that I s I'm seeing and experiencing within this hospital with this sort of new wave of energy is i it it it really amplifies not just the financial donations, but also sort of how physicians are engaging and showing up. So in my mind, it
We are really changing the culture, right? From one where we're creative and we're collaborative and we're being really curious about what's needed. It's a very cool time. I mean, it's also it's hard and it's lots of work, but it's a different way of building health care. I love it. Well you said to me the other day on the hall, I loved it. You said that you're noticing a vibe change that people are now coming to you instead of sometimes instead of complaining about things, you still get that. But sometimes not just complain, they're also coming with like,
What if we could do this? And that what if question? And I think that's exciting. Like we've got the new you know, our our incredible new critical care building. We've got our new spec CT is being under construction right now. We've got the cancer build. There's a lot of cool new stuff. We've spent a lot of money on equipment throughout the hospital. And so I'm excited to hear you say this that people are like, hey, there's hope. You know, we we see a light at the end of the tunnel. It's not a train. Yeah. And that's been a l a real shift over the last couple of years.
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that we've shifted from that place of of you know sort of feeling like we were there was no hope, right? We were never gonna get there. You know, I can even think a a colleague of mine said, We're never gonna get the cath lab. And I said, We will. We're gonna get there. So he he has it on his fridge that if we, you know, we get the cath lab, he'll he'll he'll take me out to dinner. And and of course the Catholics, you know, not on me, but I really, I really think that that energy, I mean some people say to D do you really think we're gonna get a new tower? And I'm like, Yeah, we are. You know, do you really think we're gonna get this? And
And so even people just asking those questions, because a couple of years ago it would be a lot of that negative energy. And then what I see with that energy is then that people feel they can lean in a little bit more, right? Two years ago people were leaning out, they were leaving. They're like, We are overwhelmed. We don't have any capacity. We feel isolated, we're hopeless. But now as we're sort of shifting this culture, we're feeling this like renewed energy and hope, people are like, huh. Well, I'd like to be a part of this. Here's what I could contribute. And then it really
The energy builds on itself, right? So that people are really buying into what we're doing here. We, you know, it was really exciting at our local medical advisory council, which I I call the Jedi Council. So that's all the physician leads that come together. and traditionally they would have thought they're there to care for their department and complain. We really shifted that for them to understand, no, we're here to to steer the ship, to, to, to direct this place where it needs to go.
And it was so cool. you know, one of our Dave Forrest actually with the Medical Staff Association brought forward a motion to look at building a medical school here, which would be such a benefit to our community to bring in new providers, new energy. And two years ago that issue came up and doctors were like, No way, we have no capacity, we're overwhelmed, we can't take anyone new. And now there's this renewed energy and hope. And I'm like, Yeah, we could have medical students here. We've got interesting
Interesting medicine, fantastic providers, a great place to work. So let's bring them in here and and and teach them what it is to work in a hospital like Nanaimo. That's exciting. I because we're working with the E B C School of Medicine around some of the recruitment work we're doing and the housing initiatives that we're talking about for residents. And they're like potentially, you know, they want to send more people. This is apparently one of the top places for students to come.
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'Cause they get to see everything. You know, we d'cause honest we don't have all the specialists. So they get to do more than they might do in a major hospital in Vancouver. Yeah. And they're working right alongside the doctor. They're taking care of the patient. They get to see what happens in follow up. They're working collaboratively and with great people. I mean, that's ultimately why I'm in this work, is because of the people that work at this place in this community. We have amazing people here. They've had some hard years, but they're good people. And
And so it's cool to think about bringing in learners to that environment who we could could motivate and and potentially change the trajectory of their career. Yeah, totally. And often if they come, then they'll stay in Nanaimo. I think we have like eighty percent of residents who train here stay, which is pretty phenomenal. Yeah. So we want to encourage that. My last question for you is leadership lessons. So what leadership lessons have you learned from operating in this resource constrained environment and and what maybe also what's been the most surprising upside of that? Well
I mean, a as a pediatrician, my clinical expertise was not much for the challenges that we face. And I I think what's become really clear to me is when we I you know, traditionally we would say we need we need more, we need more staff, we need more this, we need more that. But there's actually something to be said for when we we take care of our people, when we listen to them, when we engage with them, when we break down silos, we're actually able to
do more together and not more in the way of burnout and exhaustion. Actually people feel motivated and regenerated and inspired. And then we are able to bring in more staff and bring in more resources. So to me, it really has taught me that that culture and relationships are where I need to focus my energy.
And then allowing those individuals who are the experts in cardiology or internal medicine to then be able to advocate for what they need for their programs. I love that. There's a saying I love that, you know, culture eats strategy for lunch. And if we don't have the positive culture, if we don't have people leaning in, it doesn't matter what our strategy is. It's also very interesting. Yeah. And it's a lot of fun. Had people leaving in droves over the last couple of years, right? Last summer was a really tough time.
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Wasn't sure how we were gonna get through. But here we are. We've recruited more physicians, the energy's changed, people are hopeful and excited. I have to like bar my door so I actually can get some work done because people often are coming with like, Hey, what about this? Could we do this? What do you think about that? That's great. I send them all to you, Barney. Well, and that's what we love and that's what we're you know, we're trying to help.
And facilitate. And, you know, the next part of of this episode, we're going to talk about the innovation hub that we're going to d you know, try and get going to try and help doctors who have a creative idea. Like one of the doctors here has, you know, created this idea of a tent that goes over the beds for people who are unfortunately in our hallways. Things like that. That while we can help with finance, we can help with people to write a business plan. Like we can bring the pieces together. And we're working with the NineMark Prosperity Corporation and other organizations. So so yeah, we l we love it when doctors come in or anybody and nurses but
People working in physical plant come and Hey, I got a crazy idea and like that's magic to our ears, you know. So we always try to help. So it's great. Yeah. Well, you guys definitely are making a difference. But we're trying. It's fun. We just facilitate our donors. That's the big thing is if our donors want to do it, then we can help. Well, so thank you so much, Kelly. Yeah, thanks, Bernie. Any closing words for you, Doctor Cox? number one, I am deeply, deeply grateful.
I'm I'm honored to be in this job, to be in service to our community. I'm inspired by the work of the foundation and your willingness to lean in. And then I know that behind you are are all of these generous people who also care deeply about Nanaimo and and what we're doing here. And so it's been the most beautiful part of my job to see us come together as a community to build what we need here. So thank you.
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Well the segue into our next interview pretty much writes itself. Colin Stansfield is one of those generous people Kelly was talking about. As the CEO of the Nanaimo Prosperity Corporation, he is someone who cares deeply about building a thriving local economy, which absolutely includes investing in a strong healthcare system with projects like the Nanaimo Healthcare Innovation Hub, and he's here to tell us all about it. Colin, it is such a treat to have you here today. I just love it. And it's been just such a treat to have you in the Nanaimo community.
I mean you're gonna make me blush and now that I know there's video, that's a concern. But I think only two. But if if if that feeling was coming out ahead of me, then even better, right? Aaron Well it's been great to have you in this community is you're somebody who has big vision, big ideas, isn't afraid to share them, and you seem to create this magic energy of people wanna join and get involved in that which you're doing. and so I've really appreciated your partnership around raising
The awareness for the impact of healthcare in our local economy here in Nanaimo. I think that is something that I was quite surprised sort of fallen on deaf ears, if you will, and it wasn't really spoken of. Although you can find it in the, you know, the City of Nanaimo impact report or their annual statement of the economy here and healthcare is the biggest employer, but nobody talks about it. And when we partnered a bit on the first fight, Vancouver Island Economic Alliance,
at their conference and we, you know, we're very enthusiastically put together a session on healthcare and the impact on the economy and nobody showed up. Right. It was it's really something. It's like, okay, like this is massive employment. There is massive construction happening and and will be much more in the future. And yet we don't seem to have it there. So I'd like to ask you like from an economic development perspective, why is healthcare innovation such a critical priority for Nanaimo right now?
Yeah, it's a great question. And you're right, Barney. I don't understand why others didn't pick up on it as well, 'cause you know, when I think about it, health no I guess I think about it that healthcare is not really just a service that Nanaimo depends on, right? Like it really is one of those core sectors that I think and that NPC thinks is gonna define Nanaimo's next economy. you mentioned staffing. you'll have to correct me because I'll probably get my numbers wrong. But NRGH employing more than thirty, three hundred staff, three hundred physicians, midwife partners, I think
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I heard 200 more full-time roles with just the cancer center, but full hospital expansion at roughly a thousand more. That's that's massive. So I I think it's not just a question of how do we improve care? It really does become about how we build the talent, the infrastructure, the partnerships, the training, technology adoption, community conditions. So you can go on and on and on, but all of that that will allow healthcare to really become that driver of regional.
prosperity. And so, you know, at NPC, we treat health really as part of a broader living system. You'll hear us talking a lot about a living systems approach. And that's about how the economy, the community, infrastructure, housing, education, well being, healthcare, it all reinforces each other. And so long way around to answering your question, I think health innovation matters because if we get it right, Nanaimo doesn't just become stronger as a city. We're a stronger mid-island hub. And so
Yeah, why w why weren't there more people in the room? I don't know. This is the hottest thing going. We're just ahead of the curve, that's all. Well, it's interesting because earlier you know, on this episode, we're talking with Kelly Cox around this whole concept of austerity drives innovation. And because here at NRGH, we you know we don't have the silver spoon in our mouth, we are scrappy and people think differently and and our leadership does think differently and very creatively.
And so I think that's led us to have some conversations as well around there's also I think a tremendous potential for opportunities potentially around healthcare startups, around technology innovation, around even there's a a doctor here who's invented a tent that goes over the hospital bed for people who are in our hallways because we run 116% capacity every day. Such a brilliant idea, you know, and so she's coming to us and saying, Well, how do I get this to market? 'Cause our patients need it. And so I
I think that's also something cool that we can help foster as well is for people to take that grittiness, take that drive and have an impact well beyond Vancouver Island. I agree. A hundred percent. The grittiness, the drive, these are the things that we can forget about at times as we particularly as we think about moving forward, but how you bring that past with us, the culture that is so real here. it's a great strength. And I'm appreciate the work that you're doing to lean on it. it's fun. You know, and I remember at at the
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one of the via forums as well, the economist from MNP was talking about the replacement of, you know, the the traditional that were often high wage jobs in Nanaimo, you know, in forestry and in in fishing and some of these other important industrial sectors, were initially replaced with service sector jobs. You know, tourism was going to save the day, which is super, super important to our economy. But when you look at the
Yeah, the the wages in those areas, those aren't the same impact. And she talked about healthcare jobs being high impact from a wage perspective. And like you say, that then has a big ripple effect in the economy. Do you do you see that? absolutely. you know, there's a lot of data that comes out right now that shows this almost you know, the you hear about in the States the sort of K-shaped recovery, those who are doing really well and those who aren't doing as well. And part of what's gonna allow us
To steer clear of some of those greater challenges is by creating more well paying jobs. That, you know, as we struggle with affordability across so many segments of life, finding well paying employment opportunities, income generating opportunities, these are essential for the community to remain healthy. And healthcare is absolutely one of those spaces where we find meaningful work that is meaningful not just in the way that it it nourishes us in finding, you know, a calling and a purpose.
But also that it can pay for those things that we need as individuals and as families to remain healthy and in place. Yeah, a hundred percent. And I think what I'm observing here is we seem to have a wonderful alignment at all different levels. I think we're probably one of the only cities in Nanaimo City of Nanaimo has on their website one of their strategic priorities is health care. We've got the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District totally focused on improving healthcare in our region. We have our MLAs supporting this. We have
our community riled up with the Fair Care Alliance in a really great way. But you've been leading a really interesting initiative under the auspices of the Mayor's Leadership Council. I think our working title is the Nanaimo Accord, and I'm not sure of how much I'm allowed to say, but it isn't a totally secret cabal. But but you've been able to bring together the you know Health Authority, our Foundation, VIU, the airport, the port, the Nanaimo Foundation,
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and a number of other entities, of course, and with city leadership at the table. And we've been having these really fascinating conversations about what is the future of Nanaimo and Central Vancouver Island. And we there's I think in the next six months or so people are going to see some pretty brave statements coming out that really articulate where this community's going. And I'm really excited about that. Is are you allowed to comment on it? Yeah. Can I ask you off the record?
It's just us. Just us. Yeah, I I think there's nothing that is secretive. You're absolutely right, and we're allowed. And the whole idea is that this is something that should bring the whole community in. But you know, to back it up a bit, it it it's exactly what you're saying. It's a recognition that doing anything alone isn't as powerful or effective, doesn't achieve as much as doing it in concert with others. And and certainly we understand that at NBC we are a partnership just by constitution.
But in this work that we've been doing for the Nanaimo Accord, it's bringing together a number of different institutions who all share a common vision for a prosperous Nanaimo, but recognize that they each had their own respective strategic plans. And this isn't to supersede any of those or to throw them away, but to say if we just lift our, you know, lift our view a little bit further out to the horizon and get to that place of a common objective, are we going to be stronger working together? And so what was really inspiring in that room, I think, is that we asked everybody to show up.
as an interest holder, as a stakeholder, to to speak that, to voice what it is they're doing and what they want to accomplish, but then that they were all prepared to step away for that from that for a second and say, you know, it might be that in moving your project forward first, that's going to create the most cascading benefits for the entire community. And my project will benefit from that. And so what if we all put our effort right now into expanding our hospital? Or what if we all put our effort into the port expansion or building out to Tuxton? You know, these are
huge transformational projects that if we can get behind them, that if they're advancing a shared sense of values, some shared guiding principles, some common ambitions, it's only going to do better for us here locally, but also in the story that we tell to senior levels of governments, to others who when we look at them and say, This is the invest you know, this is the Nanaimo that we're investing in, we're inviting you to come along with us. And so I've found it to be wonderfully inspiring work and yes, people should absolutely get ready to see
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I I think some very bold ambitions and then to be welcomed into participating alongside us in achieving those. It's so awesome. And I completely missed mention that the Cynamic First First Nation is at the table. They're very important partners in this. And 'cause and to your point, what I've found really interesting is we've been in Ottawa lobbying for access to you know, try and get money from this five billion dollar health care and hospital fund when we can say we have the city, the regional hospital district, our first nation leadership.
And the health authority and the community. We have, you know, 11,000 signatures on the petition. We have ever everyone in this community is is marching together because they see this is so serious. And I find that really exceptional. You know, we're not seeing any infighting and stuff, and I think the Nanwell court is a just the opposite sort of tip, you know, tip of the iceberg in some respects. But it's I think a really great example of how it's all fitting together.
When we first met, we started talking all sorts of ideas and we still do. but we talked about incubators and innovation centers that we see in other cities, and you'd shared a vision that you wanted to get that going here in Nanaimo, which got me then thinking about probab I'm always behind you, so like a year later. You know, what could we do for innovation for healthcare? And so now we're working together in parallel around
I want you to if you could talk a little bit about your vision for creating an incubator space and and that sort of push for the city and then how that is gonna, you know, be connected, hopefully there's connective tissue to what we're looking to do, which is an in a healthcare innovation hub. And really what we're trying to do is do what we're already doing, which is convene conversations to bring experts together and to bring resources. Cause our I see our foundation as sort of a membrane between Island Health and the community.
And so say like the doctor I mentioned with a cool idea, like we can bring business people with expertise, we can bring investors, we can bring awareness, we can do all sorts of stuff that often the people who are health healthcare experts, funnily enough, didn't learn about that when they were learning surgery. so that's how I see our piece. But if you could talk a little bit about your your side of things on that. Yeah, well, and let's talk about it through that healthcare perspective, because it's you know, when I think of a hub, an innovation lab, it's it it's about a
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platform for exactly what you're saying, that coordination, experimentation, very practical innovation. and so I think in the lead up to this conversation, we sort of talked about gaps that it could fill. And I I think it's that gap between the really big ambition that we and I talk about so much and that that you always inspire me to think about, the gap between that big ambition and the day to day system pressure. Because everyone's so busy, right? I mean Island Health managing urgent operational stuff, you know, demands.
The foundation, you guys do such a great job of mobilizing community investment. At NPC, we're working on economic systems, talent, investment, community development. I think about VIU, SD68, employers, social agencies, they all touch this same system. And that's what we're getting at with the accord, but not always through a shared innovation frame. And so I think what the hub becomes, yeah, is a place where those threads come together. It is that connective tissue that you mentioned. So whether it's
Workforce pathways, applied research, philanthropy, procurement, training, the partnerships with entrepreneurs, it becomes that, like I said, a shared platform that really helps Danaimo move like a system. Yeah, completely. And that's it. And and I think we're pretty blessed because when I've worked on other sort of incubator type things, you'll have discord amongst some, you know, within the the environment, you know. And it's like, well, why would you do that? And I don't agree. But here I think we have so many people going the right direction. it's super, super positive.
So in your perfect world, it's three years from now, and we're reflecting back on this. What would you like to see? What's your vision? what do you want to see coming out of our little healthcare innovation out? Right. Yeah. so I just touched on some of it. I think when I had taken some notes, and I should look at my notes. So forgive me if I look down and read a little bit, but you know, I think there were five things when you said what comes out? I got five buckets. And so the first is talent pipelines.
I really think, you know, creating more local pathways into healthcare careers from right from high school exposure to VIU programming to mid-career retraining, if we can build those talent pipelines, that'll be a win. innovation adoption is the second bucket. I think you you mentioned a place where clinicians, administrators, entrepreneurs, researchers, where they can all come together to test very practical solutions that improve care and reduce pressure.
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I think so that would be a second win. A third one, that investment readiness. I think there's a way stronger case for philanthropic provincial, federal, even private investment in Nanaimo's health future. But it's about saying that we're ready to take that money and do really good stuff with it. so that's three. The fourth one, community health partnerships. And so really creating better links between acute care, housing, mental health, seniors care. You're doing, you know, the foundation's doing such wonderful work around that.
prevention, overall community well-being. And so those community health partnerships would be a fourth and the last one, number five, reputation. You know, if Denaimo can really become known not only as a place asking for healthcare investment, like I mentioned, but as a place organized to use that investment well, I think that'd be great. So so talent, innovation, investment, partnerships, and reputation are the five that I put there. Cause I think that
Yeah, Canada's health policy conversation, I think it's already starting to link research, innovation, infrastructure, and workforce as being connected and that a hub or an innovation lab really lets Nanaimo localize that agenda. So my hope would be that the hub helps Nanaino Nanaimo move from advocacy to advocacy plus capacity. And so I I over five years, that's where I I hope that we're getting to. And I'm have every confidence that with all the wonderful folks who have already lined up to participate, it we're we're gonna get there.
I love this. Of course I'm taking furious notes here. Well, thank goodness we're recording this, right? We can go again. It's really interesting because talent pipeline, right? Like we have have had conversations with VIU. we're really encouraging them as they look at their next future vision to consider really leaning into healthcare training. because for example, there are times when
w we can't even some nice we have to s reschedule operations because we don't have enough clean equipment because there aren't enough trained people to clean the equipment. Because there's only one place in Canada that that trains people to clean medical equipment. You know, so we we tell this to VIU, like here's an opportunity, you know, and and it's it's adult learners usually so, you know, there can be more income on that. But also with the schools, like, you know, we have some school scholarships programs. The foundation provides a number of scholarships, but
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We are encouraging that to happen and more conversations at the high school level, which is really exciting. The innovation platform, I I love that because that is something we want to like as I said, this doctor with the idea for the the you know, the bed, privacy tents. When, you know, when a doctor like that comes in the door, or when a nurse or anyone in this organization comes in the door and says, I have an idea, I want to be able to say, go over to the, you know, here's here's you're gonna talk to the innovation hub. We are now doing that. So for example, we're
facilitating and and helping on this new project, which is the innov which Kelly and I talked about, which is the innovation, tertiary care innovation hub. But we actually helped Kelly get everything out of her brain into a planning document. And that was our one of our leaders doing that. And so that's the type of thing we want to like just spur. You got an idea, got a crazy idea. That was a whole seniors emergency. It was like a leader with a crazy idea. Like we put a you know we hired a consultant who now works with us to work with her and like
Get the ideas out. So that innovation platform and that investment readiness, I do think we are so fortunate to have, you know, a a lot of very talented, smart donors who have great business experience, but also have deep pockets who often are investing. And I've seen this in university. So I think we can really play a role in those connections. And the community health partnerships is so exciting. We're doing quite a bit of work there. We now the consultant who helped us stand up the seniors emergency.
is now working on a seniors preventative medicine initiative in partnership with Island Health. And it we just go to them and say, Hey, if you could dream, what do you want to do? You know? Cause then we can create something. And that's been really fun. And I had another meeting on that yesterday. And it's like pulling all these pieces together 'cause all these people have these great ideas. But, you know, often there's been budget cuts and there's been this and there's been that, you and and they're so busy, like you said earlier, doing their day to day world. So if we can come in with some resources and say, Hey, like, dream big with us and then let's create something.
is super exciting. And the last part is reputation. Known you know, know that your investments, your ideas, if you invest not just your money, but your ideas and your energy and come to us, we'll help you plug that in. So yeah, I love that, those five buckets. So why thank you for that. There we go. I of course will credit you. That that's really awesome. No Yeah, sorry. Yeah. Well I was just gonna
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I just gonna say that you're right. I think it is just so exciting. And it's about meeting people with that excitement because it when people show up that way, you gotta remember that it takes a lot. Everything else that's going on in the world to to stay fired up about something and to show up, to suddenly be running into brick walls or to have that fire dampened is just so disappointing. And so to create spaces like you're envisioning where we can meet that, where we can fan those flames, where we can bring more tinder, that's yeah, I agree with you. Just wonderfully exciting. So good on you.
Mean that's how the fair care started. It was just an idea. Everything we're doing, so much of what we're doing is just ideas that start. And I had another one of those conversations this week with a health leader. Like, what if we did this? And we're like, hmm, I haven't done that before, but sure, we can talk about it. Anything's possible. So d tell me, you know, your like what do you find what keeps you motivated? What what do you find most fulfilling about being part of something that's you know, that you are doing, this energy you're creating? How how do you find this and how do you keep yourself motivated? What
What keeps you going? I mean well, you put it in the context of this health conversation. What I absolutely love about it, what fires me up about it is that it's like it's wickedly tangible, right? Like we're talking about whether people can get care close to home. We're talking about whether families can stay together in really difficult moments, whether Nanaimo can attract the professionals it needs, you know, whether the city steps into its role as this like natural center of the island. And so
Not always in my work is it that tangible. And so I find that really fulfilling. And I think for NPC, that's really what we're built to do. We we often say that we're all about aligning partners, intelligence, and delivery capacity around those things that are going to shape long term prosperity. And so this is that. I think personally, the meaningful part is just seeing Nanaimo start to believe in its own seriousness. I think when I first moved here, I'd tell people that it felt like a lot of conversations ended with a bit of an uptick. Like, I think the NIMO's pretty cool.
And now now you're seeing them like, don't do that, right? Like the Naimo is cool. Nanaimo is great. And the NIMO is growing. And so initiatives like this I think are indicative of a a much larger change that's happening all over the city. That is just this growing sense that Nanaimo is becoming more confident in its ability to shape its own future, more willing to collaborate as we've discussed, more willing to to think long term and and to to organize around those shared ambitions. And
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And as you and I keep saying, that's exciting, right? Because at the end of the day, communities, I do believe, become stronger when people believe they can build meaningful things together. And so what fulfills me is that this work sits right at that intersection of like civic pride and practical necessity. And when you put those things together, I mean, that's easy to get up for each day. Yeah. I love it.
Now, just my last question for you is can you tell folks how to you know, where can they f learn more about the Prosperity Corporation? You have a great newsletter. I really encourage people to sign up for that, partially 'cause you kindly always do something about healthcare in it. That's right. But how can folks become members of your fan club? absolutely. so visit our website, which is InvestNenaimo.com. Sign up for our newsletter. We put out a newsletter every single month that is full of wonderful stories of things that are happening in Nanaimo as well as some sort of thought pieces on
on how we might approach different issues or think about them differently. if you're on LinkedIn, follow us there. But the website and the newsletter are the best ones. There's so much good work that we really take pride in being able to share it. So invest in IMO dot com, sign up for our newsletter.
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Thank you for listening to the show today, and thank you to our guests Kelly Cox and Colin Stansfield. These conversations make me really excited for the future. When people are just treading water in an under resourced healthcare system, investing in innovation may not seem like a smart idea, but I think our guests today have proven the opposite. Innovating is how we find creative ways to do more with less, and that spirit of creativity has been growing at our facilities thanks to people like Kelly Cox. Bring in business leaders like Colin who understand the
Critical importance of investing in healthcare innovation to build a strong foundation for a thriving community, and the possibilities are limitless.
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This eye-opening moment is powered by the Code Brew Cafe at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, where every cup you enjoy and every meal you savor helps fuel healthcare excellence in Central Vancouver Island. 100% of Code Brew's profits go directly towards purchasing medical equipment and funding vital projects at NRGH and the other regional health facilities we serve. Join us for the next episode of Harboring Hope, where we'll be talking about the impressive amount of work going on behind the scenes to get healthcare workers from the U.S. to relocate to Nanaimo and help fill some of our gaps.
We'll hear from Todd Maffin from the Nanaimo Infusion and the Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation board member, Cody Dregger. You don't want to miss this. You can learn more about the Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation at Nanaimo HospitalFoundation.com.
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