Each year on November 15, people in North America celebrate National Philanthropy Day to show appreciation for the those who give generously in support of the betterment of their communities.
Locally, the Peterborough Regional Health Care (PRHC) Foundation is celebrating National Philanthropy Day by acknowledging all the donors who have helped raise $49,492,814 for the hospital — a significant milestone in the $60-million Campaign for PRHC that aims to reimagine healthcare delivery in the region.
“I’m so grateful for how much this community values and supports our hospital — it’s what makes it so special,” says PRHC President and CEO Dr. Lynn Mikula. “Every corner of PRHC has been touched by the generosity of donors, which has helped ensure patients can receive the highest standard of care and treatment right here at home.”
While government funding supports operational costs of the hospital, the purchase and replacement of equipment and the advancement of technology is funded entirely by donors. Funds raised through the Campaign for PRHC are advancing medical care and introducing additional lifesaving services and pioneering treatments to the regional hospital.
“The outcome of reaching 82 per cent of our $60 million campaign goal will touch so many people at different points in their lives — from the birth of a child to supporting our elderly as they age,” says PRHC Foundation President and CEO Lesley Heighway. “The community has really stepped behind the campaign and sees the need for it.”
The impact of the funds raised so far is already being felt around the hospital through a number of investments completed or underway, including the upgrade of two cath labs with state-of-the-art technology, the upgrade and renovation of the interventional radiology suites, and the development of the new purpose-built Scotiabank Youth Eating Disorder Day Treatment Clinic.
“We have the benefit now where we can actually turn back to our donors and point at everything they’ve helped to accomplish here so far,” says Heighway. “It’s just remarkable — there’s nowhere in the hospital where the donors haven’t transformed care. Everywhere we go within this hospital, we see the result of community supporting community.”
That includes a donor-funded investment of $4.57 million for two new cutting-edge CT scanners, an essential upgrade that is helping PRHC’s healthcare professionals diagnose injuries, cancers, and other illnesses sooner, while also allowing for more scans to be done.
“We’ve done our best to keep up with new equipment and technology — much of it thanks to donors — but there’s more to be done,” says Dr. Mikula. “There are incredible advances and critical treatments that we could be offering here at PRHC, and lifesaving new services that could help make sure fewer patients have to travel outside the region to get the care they urgently need.”
That includes donor-funded investments like the $1.5 million that has allowed the hospital to acquire a second MRI machine, after having operated with just one for the past 15 years. The upgrade will facilitate more than 5,000 additional procedures every year, with faster, high-resolution imagery and a more comfortable experience for the patient.
“These advancements will help to address and reduce the challenges related to wait times and offer a more efficient patient care experience,” says Heighway. “Every time we make these major investments, they come with so much advancement. Care becomes much more streamlined, so it’s much better for the patient.”
Current donations are going towards the in-progress construction of a courtyard outside the hospital’s Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The last of PRHC’s six donor-funded courtyards, the purpose-built courtyard will provide some of the hospital’s most vulnerable patients with access to an outdoor space. Currently, PICU patients have no access to the outside, despite their stays being weeks or even months long.
“Having that courtyard will be a safe space and a beautiful space in a natural environment,” says Heighway. “These patients will be able to go out there with their psychiatrists or social worker or their friends or family. It will be a nice place for them to receive care and access the outdoors like all the other patients here at PRHC.”
A major priority area for the Campaign for PRHC is to raise funds for a $2.5 million investment in the future of cancer care diagnostics through digital pathology. This innovative technology will digitize slides to create images that can be easily shared, managed, and interpreted, leading to improved analysis, multiple-angle views, better opportunity for collaboration, and reduced turnaround time.
At a time when there is a system-wide shortage of pathologists, the hospital’s donor-funded investment in digital pathology will also encourage world-class healthcare professionals to make a career at PRHC.
“When physicians are coming to PRHC to interview, it’s a two-way street,” Heighway explains. “As the hospital is interviewing the physician to see their skills and credentials, the physician is also looking at the hospital, questioning if the practice and technology is there and if they can deliver excellent care. Having donors invest in this campaign to help us bring that level of technology here also helps the hospital recruit the best physicians.”
As its gets closer to meeting the Campaign for PRHC’s $60-million goal, the PRHC Foundation is also inviting members of the community to think about and share their connections to the hospital.
“We really embrace the entire community to get involved in whatever way they can,” Heighway says. “If it’s a financial donation, that’s wonderful, but if it’s sharing stories, that’s also wonderful because those will really galvanize our community. We would love for people to step forward and share their stories of great care and what the hospital has meant to them, because it will inspire other people to consider their own involvement.”
As for making a donation to PRHC, there is no better time than National Philanthropy Day.
“National Philanthropy Day is all about the community and people in the community who are stepping forward and giving from a place of gratitude, because they’ve had great care and they’re paying it forward,” says Heighway. “It’s their kindness and generosity making things better for those who need it tomorrow and into the future.”
“We have the energy and the imagination to address any obstacle that comes our way,” adds Dr. Mikula. “We just can’t do it alone. Donor support is critical to our success.”
For more information on the Campaign for PRHC or to make a donation, visit prhcfoundation.ca. To volunteer as a campaign ambassador, email foundationeventsonline@prhc.on.ca or call 705-876-5000.
This branded editorial was created in partnership with the PRHC Foundation. If your organization or business is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.
