The Northumberland Hills Hospital Foundation says its record $25-million fundraising campaign will ensure the Cobourg, Ont., hospital can address some urgent needs.
Foundation president and CEO Rhonda Cunningham made the announcement Wednesday at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope as part of the “Exceptional Community, Exceptional Care” campaign, the largest in the organization’s history and in Northumberland County.
The funds will support significant capital needs Northumberland Hills Hospital is facing, she said.
“A hospital is so critical to its community and sharing our vision for our ‘next chapter’ is something that has been in the making for over three years now,” said Cunningham.
“While many will be hearing about our plans for the first time, our hope is that after today, everyone in Northumberland County will have a much deeper understanding of where we must go, what we have set out to accomplish, and how they can help.”
Hospital president and CEO Susan Walsh says the Cobourg hospital has a number of needs to address a growing and aging population in the county.
Among the key areas the campaign will support include:
- Replacing both the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed Tomography (CT) scanners
- Building and equipping a fourth operating room
- Creating a new integrated stroke unit
- Expanding and centralizing the intensive care unit (ICU)
- Redeveloping both the pharmacy and medical device reprocessing department
“We are here today because of the visionary leadership and the unwavering support of our community donors,” said Walsh. “The core of Northumberland Hills Hospital will always be the people and the special, synergistic bond that exists between our dedicated teams and the community who supports them.
“We have an excellent facility, a broad range of health care services, a talented staff, volunteers, and clinical team, and most importantly, we have a hospital our community can be proud of.”
The foundation revealed that the campaign has actually been in a three-year “quiet phase” and has already raised $18 million — or 72 per cent of the goal.
The $18M raised to date includes more than $2 million from volunteer leadership, a $1 million contribution from NHH Auxiliary, seven naming opportunities, and a total of 133 gifts and pledges, ranging from $100 to more than $1 million, in addition to the foundation’s annual programs.
Long-time resident and business leader Hank Vandermeer is the campaign’s chairperson. He says it was an “intimidating” request to spearhead the campaign three years ago.
“An intimidating request as fundraising in this magnitude was not something I had experience with — but hey… I love people and I love selling a great product with my team, so I said ‘yes,'” he said.
“Yes, because I understand how important it is to have a good hospital. Yes, because we need excellent health care services and programs. Yes, because the hospital has been there for me and my family throughout my life. I am honoured to have been entrusted to chair the campaign and I have vowed to stay involved until the last dollar is raised.”
Residents are expected to hear more about the campaign in the coming months. Additional information about the campaign, and how you can support, can be found at www.ItsTimeNorthumberland.ca.
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