Kelowna General Hospital Tour

Thanks to Sharon Sheppard and Jane Hoffman, an extensive tour of the new facility at KGH was set up for our office.  We had so many interested REALTORS® we had to set up two separate tours.  Our hosts were Natalie Walstrom, Senior Development Manager and Doug Rankmore, Chief Executive Officer of the KGH Foundation.  The history of the property was very interesting.

About Kelowna General Hospital
The Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) is in the Okanagan health service area and is one of two Interior Health tertiary referral hospitals. KGH offers high-level, specialty medical care including 24 hour emergency and trauma services, ambulatory and outpatient clinics, and diagnostic or paramedical services.

Specialty services include adult and adolescent psychiatry, outpatient nutrition, and patient care quality officers. Additionally, the Province of British Columbia has identified Kelowna General Hospital as one of five sites in BC for upgraded cardiac services, including angioplasty done since 2010 and cardiac surgery since 2012.

In 2011, Kelowna General Hospital treated 60,000 in Emergency and 55,000 in Ambulatory Care, completed 32,000 surgeries and admitted 20,000 inpatients, while delivering 1,600 babies.

About the KGH Foundation  http://kghfoundation.com
Since its inception in 1978, the KGH Foundation has generated over $57 million in revenues and has granted more than $38 million to Kelowna General Hospital and other health facilities in the Central Okanagan. In its first year, the Foundation received $11,560 in donations – it now holds over $11 million in donor designated and endowed assets.

KGH Foundation 2011-2012 Annual Report reported:
• $ 4,662,848 total funds raised by the KGH Foundation
• $ 2,663,925 funds donated to the Kelowna General Hospital and associated facilities
• $ 876,887  contributed by the Foundation’s Auxiliaries
• 3,640 individual gifts provided to the Foundation
• 142 individuals who have a current legacy gift to the Foundation
• 14 fundraising events were held

There are four major projects filling more than 622,000 square feet of space. Nearly $703 million in investments.  Just One of the anesthetist machine cost $95,000 and they need 18 of them.


These numbers describe the major expansion going on at KGH—the Centennial Tower, including the heli pad,  the Clinical Support Building, the UBC Clinical Academic Campus, and the Interior Heart and Surgical Centre (IHSC).  

What do all these stats mean?

For starters it means a major increase in space. To give you an idea of how much space this is, imagine a typical Walmart, Home Depot, Rona, Golf Town and Costco and add them together. That is how much new floor space is being added at KGH.
What are the benefits for residents? 

It’s a long list including such things as a new ophthalmology department, five new operating rooms, as well as a new and expanded renal department with 18 dialysis stations.

Here are some other benefits to help put all the expansion at KGH in perspective.

The greatly expanded emergency department will be four times the size of the current one. Two fully-equipped trauma bays are larger than the current space, with a third is now outfitted.  The tour was going to show us that but they were all being used.
Another benefit will be the highest level of medical care ever seen in the Interior now that IHSC is open. 

The IHSC is an integrated critical care facility giving about 1,600 cardiac patients a year, top-notch care close to home. This will also greatly reduce stress on loved ones.
The state-of-the-art surgical centre helps with the recruitment and retention of highly qualified professionals.  Camera feeds allow the surgeons and nurses to view microscopically if necessary.  They can also have outside feeds to other specialists or for educational purposes.  Absolutely amazing – we felt like we were in a TV drama.

The cardiac transition plan is already underway with angioplasty procedures being performed in the Strathcona Building at KGH – but we saw the new facility they are preparing to move to shortly.

Another benefit will be the training of new doctors right here in Kelowna. The UBC Clinical Academic Campus at KGH is now complete and students are enrolled.  This is the fourth campus of UBC’s Faculty of Medicine.


Now, students from Kelowna and throughout the Okanagan can study medicine closer to home. It also means students from other parts of British Columbia, other provinces and other countries will discover the Okanagan while studying here. Let’s hope many of them will want to stay here and practice medicine after they graduate. 

We are such a blessed community and so many more lives are saved because of the access we have to this state of art facility.

When the going gets "Tough"...just call me.

Susan Tough

Every journey begins with a single step

There is nothing like the ending of a year and the beginning of a fresh new year to invite the motivation to better yourself: To achieve something greater, to make a positive change in your life or the lives of others. A New Year’s Resolution is a time honored tradition of setting a goal for yourself. To help you achieve your goals and to make those positive changes, the following tips and tricks are available to guide you to success.

Choosing – Every journey begins with a single step


Quit smoking. 

More physical activity. 

Learn something new. 


Take more time for yourself. Choosing what you want to better in yourself or in your life is a tough choice. It’s easy to get carried away, but too much change too fast isn't good and can quickly become overwhelming. 

For best results, pick one or two resolutions that you would really like to accomplish. This will help you manage your goals and track you successes. Don’t sabotage yourself right out of the gate by setting unrealistic goals. 

Plan – A goal without a plan is just a wish

Examine how you wish to achieve your goal. By outlining how you can achieve your resolution you reinforce your commitment and assure that it is realistically achievable. This practice will also help you identify any challenges and pitfalls you may encounter, while giving you an opportunity to plan how you will overcome them beforehand. 

Be clear what you what to achieve and what small steps will get you to your goal. By creating a series of smaller tasks, you take what may be seen like an overwhelming larger objective and create more easily obtainable mini-goals.

Positive support - A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success

Utilize your supports. If you have a friend who has a similar goal, work towards your goal together with mutual support. Potentially a professional service may also be available to facilitate your success. Be it a book, a website, a course or a support group; whatever you are most comfortable with will increase your success dramatically. When we connect with others we strengthen our resolve. 

Be aware of those with whom you share your bad habits or environments that prevent your success. Stay away from these challenging situations by changing your usual routine. One of the best ways to break bad habits is to replace them with good ones. 

Stick with it – Setbacks are temporary as long as you don’t give up

It’s a fast pace world and it’s very easy to get off track. 



Be flexible when pursuing your goal to help you adapt to inevitable changes. Prepare for roadblocks and accept that it’s okay to stumble in pursuit of your objective. Just remember why you decided on your goal. Follow the steps you set out for yourself and rely on your supports. Visualize your goal and your motivation and you will succeed in your resolution in the New Year.

                                            

I wish you Many Blessings through the New Year for you – your friends and your family.  Be sure to congratulate yourself for every accomplishment you achieve – big or small – share kind words with others – and yourself

When the going gets "Tough"...just call me.

Susan Tough

Amendment or Addendum???

Good for you and your REALTOR® to know!

Potato

Po - tah - to

Amendment

Addendum?

Traditionally an addendum is used as an additional page to the printed contract pages of an contract of purchase and sale for any conditions, terms, inclusions, etc that need to be included as a part of the negotiated transaction.

Once a contract is accepted – any changes or additions to the terms or agreement are to be done on an amendment – it is changing/amending the already accepted offer.

The amendment is different from the addendum as it has pre-printed wording that are very important statements;  

“For good and valuable consideration…”  

and at the bottom...

“All other terms and conditions contained in the said agreement remain the same and is full force and effect.  Time shall remain of the essence.”

The key point is timing – 
Putting additional information or terms into a contract BEFORE it’s accepted is much different than making changes or additions to a contract AFTER it has been accepted.  




At contract law, reopening the contract can be dangerous – giving either party an opportunity to walk away from the previously agreed transaction as changes after an acceptance can be interpreted as a renegotiation of the deal. New “consideration” is required at contract law to have a binding agreement – that consideration is usually the deposit we take but more accurately it is the agreement between the two parties.  When information is being changed or added to an accepted offer – contract law asks 
– what is the ‘consideration’ for this new agreement – thus the amendment form addresses that with “For good and valuable consideration”.   You should add, “The Buyer and Seller agree” , then enter your changes “from…. To ….” Or add any additional information the parties wish to have included.

ALSO – it’s imperative that there is no ambiguity to the changes where parties may interpret those changes to be replacing something already agreed to – thus  “all other terms and conditions remain the same” – is important. 
Lastly, “time is of the essence” is an important statement at contract law – meaning that if parties do not meet the time boundaries placed on them, the contract can be null and void.  Once again, when changes are made to an accepted offer, restating that ‘time remains of the essence” supports the enforceability of the contract should it ever be challenged and places the same fundamental contract requirements on the parties for these additional agreements on the amendment. 

My way to remember is:

• Addendum (ADD) is adding pages for more room to write in the contract.  
• Amendment (to Amend) is changing an already agreed contract.

You can most certainly use an addendum rather than an amendment form after acceptance but your REALTOR®  MUST remember to include the pre-printed statements in order to ensure the enforceability and integrity of the contract for all parties in the contract.  

This certainly shows you  how important it is to have a well educated and prepared REALTOR® on your side when buying or selling a home.  

When the going gets "Tough"...just call me.

Susan Tough

Stage this Home and Sell it...

There are many cliché’s or motivational anecdotes out there that can help us through life.

“you will miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”

"There are two ways of meeting difficulties: you alter the difficulty or you alter yourself to meet them."

"Focus on the critical few, not the insignificant many…. Even the most powerful waves begin as a single drop."

"Some succeed because they are destined to, but most succeed because they are determined to".  

"A positive attitude is a powerful force…. It can’t be stopped."  

"One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling 
blocks."  

"If you do not believe – you won’t achieve"

One in particular stands out for me because it can be applied to all facets of life – your friends, your business, your job, your yard and your Home.

“You only have One chance to Make a good first impression” 

Think about it as you move through your day working on accomplishing specific tasks, meeting new people, how you are served in a new restaurant you might try or by a service provider – your drycleaner – the appliance repair man.  Whether or not you have a memorable experience you may or may not return.  What about that impression your home made on a Buyer contemplating a move to your area or price range.

Home Stager’s have become a very important and useful service connection for the Real Estate industry and home owners – in all price ranges.  I’e invited one of our favourite “stagers” to share her valuable advice in my Blog today.

Guest Blogger - Kym Tarr with
Prep this House

Home Staging –Get Your Home Sale Ready!

The stresses caused by the showing and selling your home, some say is right up there with a divorce or death in the family.  However things can go much more smoothly if you get your home ready ahead of time so as to impress buyers and get the top price your aiming for.
Preparing your home for sale is a bit like designing a stage for a play. Everything is in just the right place, perfectly arranged, and comfortably set.  If you're skeptical about the benefits of going to all this work or doubt that it will make any difference in selling your home, put yourself in the place of a home buyer.

Have you ever toured through a development of show homes? The paint is fresh, appliances are shiny, there is artwork arranged around the house, and fresh flowers stand on the kitchen counter. Mirrors are sparkling, towels fresh, and there are no toys on the floor. The rooms look spacious and the furniture comfortable.  The kitchens and bathrooms are polished, smelling fresh, and clutter is not to be seen.

Now leave the development of show homes and go down the street where the homes are several years old. Children's toys are stacked in the family room. Boxes are stacked in the garage to the point where you couldn't park even one car there. Clothes fill the bedroom closets. The house isn't dirty, but there are clean dishes in the kitchen sink and toothpaste stuck on the bathroom vanity. Homework is spread out on the dining room table. The family dog is barking because of the strangers in the house and the floors are showing their wear.

With all other things being equal, which house would be more appealing to you? Of course, the first one! The homes may be the same size, but because of the clear layout, the first home would  much larger. The house was prepared to show off all the good points and none of the bad.

So if you just can't see through all your things to the core of your home, consider hiring a professional to stage your home!   By bringing a Home Stager on board, you the homeowner will get unbiased feedback about what does or does not work in a home and how to highlight your homes best features.   Which in turn will likely sell the home for a higher price.

Thanks so much to Kym Tarr’s continued advice and support for our clients and our REALTORS®.

Check out our radio contest with EZ Rock:

Follow this link to enter on the EZ Rock website!

When the going gets "Tough"...just call me.

Susan Tough