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Description

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Our Mission Statement
You are here Our Centre

George Derby Centre is a communitybased continuing care residence for Canadian Veterans of the Armed Forces We enable our residents to maintain their optimal level of personal health and wellbeing despite existence of chronic illness We provide leisure medical nursing palliative rehabilitative and spiritual programs and services

We coordinate appropriate access to other health services such as acute care when residents require specific interventions to maintain health or quality of life that cannot be provided in a continuing care setting

We achieve our mission through our commitment to the principles of GentleCare by acting with compassion and integrity and by encouraging resident family and community involvement

Values
Compassion
Compassion is the Centres fundamental value that defines and influences all other core values Compassion means caring for the well being of our residents families volunteers and colleagues Staff demonstrates true compassion for our residents by understanding their unique emotional spiritual social and health needs and striving above all else to meet their individual needs to promote optimal personal well being and happiness

Respect and Dignity
George Derby Centre is committed to treating residents families staff and volunteers with respect and dignity We encourage our community members to maintain their sense of selfworth during their daily interaction with others and are respected for their contribution to the Centres affairs To the extent possible staff will actively support the residents and families right to

Make as many choices and personal and health decisions about issues
affecting their lives

Maintain their independence and freedom of movement

Assume reasonable risk

Be treated as worthy individuals who can safely express their personal
beliefs attitudes and personal goals without infringing upon the rights of
others

Excellence
Our community strives toward excellence through the provision of quality care services and programs for our community members within available resources

Excellence is achieved by

Having a strong vision with a focus on growth and ongoing improvement in all
services and programs

Maintaining a commitment to the well being of our community members by
providing the best quality of care and work environment possible

Retaining competent staff through excellent recruitment selection and
credentialing practices

Promoting a culture of continuous learning by using researchbased best
practice information for all programs and services and by providing ongoing
staff development education and training opportunities

Maintaining a community that encourages creativity and supports those
members who have the courage to make positive changes Expecting that all
staff act with consistency integrity honesty and loyalty to foster a sense
of trust within the community

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History

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Our History
The original George Derby Centre was built in 1946 as a rehabilitation Centre for young disabled veterans returning from the war The goal of the Centre was to promote their return to community living

The Centre is named in honor George Cleveland Derby

Mr George Cleveland Derby

George Cleveland Derby was born in Selkirk Ontario on 12 May 1889 He died in Shaughnessy Hospital at the age of 81 on 05 January 1971

In 1914 at the outbreak of World War I Mr Derby was employed in Vancouver as a broker On 18 September 1915 he enlisted as a private in the 72nd Battalion Seaforth Highlanders Canadian Expeditionary Force He was in England from April to August 1916 and then was sent to France In November 1916 he suffered from concussion which seriously impaired his hearing In April 1917 during the preliminary fighting at Vimy Ridge an exploding shell buried him in a trench and left him with a permanently disabled knee He was invalidated to England in May 1917 and returned to Canada that November As his injuries were permanent he received his army discharge in January 1918 and left his unit with the rank of sergeant

In September 1918 George Derby joined the Department of Solders Civil Reestablishment the forerunner of the Department of Veterans Affairs During World War II he was District Administrator for the Department in Vancouver and headed a committee responsible for drafting the Veterans Charter The Charter set forth the provisions for members of the armed services returning to Canada and planning to reenter civilian life His work on this committee took him to wartime England where he was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1943 for patriotic and philanthropic work

When George Derby returned to Canada he became Western Regional Administrator in Vancouver for the newly formed Department of Veterans Affairs In 1946 he negotiated to land acquisition for a new veterans hospital and in that year the George Derby Centre was named in his honor He remained with Veterans Affairs Canada in Vancouver until his retirement in 1956

George Derby was an elder of Shaughnessy United Church a director and onetime Chairman of the Alcoholism Foundation a past President of the Canadian Red Cross Society and a Director of the Salvation Army Grace Hospital He was also active all of his life in the Masonic Order