Hospital foundation receives generous donation from Guelph couple

The Guelph General Hospital’s newly converted acute stroke unit will open sooner thanks to a generous donation from a local couple.

Former business owners Alex and Deb Beath will fund all of the patient care equipment required for the acute stroke unit.

In a news release on Wednesday, the Foundation of Guelph General Hospital said the donation has allowed the hospital to accelerate the opening of the space.

CEO Mark Walton said the hospital averages eight stroke patients at a time, but the donation will allow the newly converted unit on the seventh floor to have up to 12 beds.

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“This past fall, the team identified a unit on the seventh floor that could be converted to allow us to co-locate stroke patients with similar care needs in one single unit,” Walton said.

In addition, the Beaths have bought a portable mammography unit for use during surgeries.

The Beaths owned Artemis Technologies Inc. for decades before they sold it in 2022. After they sold the company, and saw others give significant gifts to the hospital, they thought about how they could pay it forward to the community they both were born and grew up in and raised their family.

“We have lived in the Guelph area our whole lives, our children were born in this hospital, and when I recently had health issues, I was cared for at this hospital,” Alex Beath said in a statement.

He said he’s hopeful their gift will inspire others to consider donating to improve health care in the area.

Walton added it’s an honour to name the acute stroke unit after the couple as it will accommodate days when there are more patients needing care.

The acute stroke unit is expected to open in the fall.