Jan 28, 2009 --  Today, Fil Piccoli, Campaign Chair, announced that The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital’s MRI & More campaign had surpassed its $6 million goal by $36,630.

“We’re so grateful for the generosity of our community. So many people opened their hearts and their chequebooks. Our gifts ranged from $5 to $1,000,000 and we had close to 4,000 of them!” Piccoli said.  “Each gift, no matter what size, helped us bring new services and improved services to our Hospital.”

The campaign proceeds will be used in three ways. First, they will pay for the new MRI machine (which began serving our community in August 2007). Second, they will help create an Emergency Mental Health Unit (EMHU) within the Emergency Department (ED). Finally, the proceeds will pay for a new OR suite, which will help Guelph General Hospital to become the Regional Centre for Vascular Surgery, thereby providing more and more complicated vascular (blood vessel) surgical services. 

The campaign will result in better equipment and, ultimately, better care for the more than 180,000 residents within Guelph General Hospital’s catchment area. It is also expected to reduce waiting times for those using the hospital’s services.

“Certainly, we’ve already seen that in MRI services. Before our scanner arrived, residents used to have the longest wait time in the province. Now, the wait time for an MRI scan here at Guelph General Hospital is at most, 35 days,” commented Alan Stewart, Guelph General Hospital’s Chief of Staff.

Since the MRI scanner arrived 16 months ago, more than 11,200 community members have had scans. Construction of the EMHU with its addition of four patient care area, along with other renovations to help make the ED run more smoothly, should be complete this summer. And, an additional vascular surgeon was recruited due to the designation of GGH as the regional provider of general vascular surgery and that program is moving ahead.

The timing of the campaign was fortunate given the current economic climate. “We’re glad that we kicked this campaign off 18 months ago,” said the Foundation’s Executive Director, Suzanne Bone. “In healthcare, budget constraints are part of our everyday reality, and the need for community support of our Hospital never goes away. We recognize that our supporters are watching the economy closely, and we do appreciate that they’ve continued to make GGH one of their priorities.”

“Much of what we do at the Hospital could not be done without the generosity of our community,” said Guelph General Hospital President and CEO Richard Ernst. “I’m very grateful for the support of our amazing donors. It is such a strong message of support both for the hospital and for the community.”

The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital, which is governed by a volunteer board of directors, was established in 1987.  Since that time, close to $30 million has been raised to help Guelph General Hospital provide quality, patient-centred health care to our community.