A relative of mine in Canada passed away recently and the designated charity associated with the memorial was listed as a Canadian hospital. I contacted the hospital to gain an understanding of why they were soliciting charitable donations when the hospital was government funded. It seemed to me that if I donated to the hospital that I would be just subsidizing Canadian taxpayers, many of whom are probably better off than I am. This is what I got in return (emphasis mine):
Thank you for your email, and inquiry about why donations are needed for hospital.
Our Foundation’s mandate is to enhance the health and wellness of our community. We do this through a diversified fundraising program that raises money for vital medical equipment and hospital site renovations and expansion.
Funding is provided annually by the government to cover the operational costs of our hospital and for priority equipment needs. However, the equipment and site renovation needs far exceed the level of funding provided.
Thanks to the support of our donors, our Foundation is able to bridge this gap and annually fund an additional $500K - $1M in new and replacement medical equipment, as well as numerous site renovation and expansion projects in partnership with Fraser Health. Additionally, we fund projects in the community that support a variety of health care needs (i.e. for youth, adults with special needs, individuals living with chronic disease.
We endeavor to make our community as healthy as possible through our annual fundraising efforts. Hopefully the above response answers your question. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Sincerely,
XXXXX
DIRECTOR, ANNUAL GIFTS & DONOR RELATIONS
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that the overwhelming majority of Americans think that the Canadian Health System is completely underwritten by taxes but, in fact, it requires charitable donations for it to function.
Sam
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