Ever wondered what happens to the dollars you spend when you find that great deal in the Thrift Store? Would you believe the Arrow Lakes Hospital Auxiliary has been saving up to buy a house?
Arrow Lakes Hospital Foundation and Hospital Auxiliary volunteers congregated Friday, June 1, for tours of their new house and a small reception with snacks and drinks.
The Foundation and Auxiliary had banded together to purchase a home to offer doctors who might need just a little more enticement to Nakusp. Mike George, Chair of the Foundation, said there was clearly a “desperate need” to get physicians to move to Nakusp, and Dale James of the Auxiliary agreed.
At the beginning, the Auxiliary bought “extras” for the hospital for patient comfort, said James. Soon, the organization started buying equipment for the hospital in order to attract doctors to work there.
“Locums say we’re the best equipped small hospital they’ve ever been to,” said George, who has seen an increase over the years in federal and provincial governments offloading responsibility for services to municipalities and volunteer groups.
Even with the increase, the Auxiliary has been able to keep the hospital well supplied. And so, the groups pooled their resources and started looking for a house to attract a doctor.
James was both proud and modest about the achievement, and said the thrift store not only provided the house, but also provided a service to the community by recycling goods through the community while also being “a good outlet for old ladies with time on their hands.”
All their efforts have resulted in the purchase of a good-sized house on 3rd Street with a lovely garden and pond “water feature,” for Dr. Sayed Subzwari who will be moving to Nakusp on June 23.