VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vancouver Chinatown Foundation and VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation today announced that a new integrated community health unit located at 58 West Hastings will be named after one of Vancouver’s most community-minded and generous philanthropists, Lily Lee, proposed as the Lily Lee Community Health Centre Hastings. Lee was a former public health nurse in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) and has donated $3.8 million through the Chinatown Foundation.
Once complete, the Lily Lee Community Health Centre will be a 50,000-square-foot integrated health centre operated by Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). It will provide critical resources and accessible health care to support the unique needs of the Chinatown and DTES residents, including access to specialized mental health and addiction care. The new centre will be purpose-built with culturally safe facilities and services to support all neighbourhood residents.
“After my graduation from the School of Nursing at UBC, my early days of working as a public health nurse in Strathcona created my passion for community health care. I believe this new health centre will have a tremendous impact in these unique neighbourhoods, and I am so happy to put my support behind it,” said Lily Lee.
Neighbouring Vancouver’s Chinatown, 58 West Hastings is a ten-storey community-oriented social housing and health centre led by the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. The innovative project will provide 230 new units and brings together multiple levels of government support, including BC Housing and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and $30 million from the Chinatown Foundation.
“This centre will provide much needed community-centred health care in the Downtown Eastside,” says Angela Chapman, President & CEO, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. “The Lee family has championed many community-focused initiatives that impact lives in Vancouver every day. Our Foundation is proud to be associated with the 58 West Hastings project and hopeful for the impact this facility will have on the neighbourhood.”
Lee and her late husband, Robert Lee, are prominent Vancouver philanthropists who feel strongly about championing building healthy communities and important causes in the city that means so much to them. “Once open, the proposed Lily Lee Community Health Centre Hastings will immediately have its impacts felt across these diverse neighbourhoods,” said Carol Lee, Chair of the Chinatown Foundation. “With the generosity of my mother, Lily, and in combination with support from multiple levels of government, this is an important moment for the Chinatown Foundation as we work to revitalize these neighbourhoods. And that starts with the health of the residents of these communities.”
“This new integrated health care centre will enable us to provide culturally appropriate and safe care for people living in the downtown eastside,” said Vivian Eliopoulos, president and CEO of Vancouver Coastal Health. “We are grateful for the generosity of Lily Lee and for the support from all of our partners on this health care initiative that will allow us to enhance access to quality care and services for the clients in the community.”
The Lily Lee Community Health Centre name is subject to the Government of British Columbia and VCH board approval and is expected to open in 2024. A generous private donor to VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, whose transformational gift completed the Foundation’s commitment to the health care centre, will name the health care centre in honour of Lily Lee. To learn more about 58 West Hastings, visit: chinatownfoundation.org/58wh.
About Vancouver Chinatown Foundation
The Vancouver Chinatown Foundation is a registered charity committed to the revitalization of Chinatown, one of Canada’s most iconic neighbourhoods in the historic heart of Vancouver. The Foundation builds more resilient and inclusive communities by promoting the well-being of those in need, while preserving Chinatown’s irreplaceable cultural heritage.
About VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation
VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation is Vancouver Coastal Health’s primary philanthropic partner and the engine for health care innovation and transformation in British Columbia. By recruiting world-class medical professionals and equipping them with the tools and technology to do their best work we are improving the health of our communities and saving lives across the province.
Patients across BC with the most complex health care needs are referred to the Vancouver Coastal Health sites we support: VGH, UBC Hospital, GF Strong Rehab Centre, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and Vancouver Community Health Services.
About Vancouver Coastal Health
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is committed to delivering exceptional care for all 1.2 million people within the ancestral, traditional and unceded homelands of 14 First Nations. With more than 26,000 staff and medical staff, VCH is British Columbia’s hub of health-care innovation, research and academic excellence, providing specialized care to patients throughout the province. Learn more at vch.ca.
