Pictured in the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Women’s & Children’s Unit with new signage honouring Martin and Denise Pick are from left to right Denise Pick, Martin Pick, PRHC Foundation President & CEO Lesley Heighway, PRHC President & CEO Dr. Lynn Mikula, Denise and Martin’s son Charles Pick, their daughter-in-law Dr. Rardi Van Heest, and PRHC General Surgeon Dr. Joslin Cheverie.
Download a copy of the PRHC Foundation’s related media release.
Local philanthropists Martin and Denise Pick have demonstrated their continued commitment to fostering innovation and compassion with a $1 million donation to the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation.
PRHC Foundation President & CEO, Lesley Heighway, made the announcement today at a private family event unveiling new recognition signage in the couple’s honour. She said the donation is representative of Martin and Denise’s life-long love of community, and shared dedication to improving the lives of friends and neighbours.
“Martin and Denise believe in the power of philanthropy to make their hospital and hometown great,” Lesley said. “They have a long history of making transformational gifts and their generosity has been shaping the future of healthcare in this region for years. We’re beyond grateful for their continued support.”
The couple, who both have long-standing relationships with PRHC as donors and volunteers, said they were inspired by what they see as a continuous commitment to innovation and excellence on the part of the hospital.
“Denise and I feel that the quality of healthcare available in a community is tied to its overall quality of life – to its ability to grow and prosper,” said Martin. “We want to help make sure the doctors and nurses at PRHC have the tools they need to deliver the best care. To do that, we need to support them and give them the equipment that will allow them to innovate.”
“The more we can do to support PRHC, the more we can help improve healthcare for patients from Peterborough and our surrounding communities,” Denise said. “We hope our donation encourages others to join us.”
The Picks’ donation was made through the Remembering Otto and Marie Pick Charitable Foundation, a family charitable fund named for Martin’s mother and father. Lesley explained that the gift is already hard at work improving care for patients from across the region through investment in minimally invasive intervention and state-of-the-art diagnostic technology.
“The Pick family’s gift was instrumental in allowing PRHC to upgrade a general operating suite with state-of-the-art minimally invasive surgical tools this winter – one of four suites undertaken by the Foundation,” said Lesley.
Dr. Joslin Cheverie, general surgeon at PRHC says the investment “has given my colleagues and me access to brand new, leading-edge equipment to perform cancer surgeries.” Cheverie explained that thanks to their support, PRHC has been able to introduce fluorescence-guided imaging to general surgery. “This new, specialized system is letting us operate with increased precision,” she said. “It’s an advancement that has tremendous potential for the treatment of bowel and other cancers.”
The remainder of the Picks’ gift helped fund two new, cutting-edge CT scanners that support safer, more accurate diagnosis by generating higher quality, more comprehensive images. It’s also ensuring PRHC’s experts can treat more urgent and chronic conditions like cancer, stroke, and traumatic injury without invasive surgery through the expansion and upgrading of the Health Centre’s Interventional Radiology suites.
PRHC President & CEO, Dr. Lynn Mikula, brought thanks on behalf of PRHC, telling the family that she and her colleagues are frequently inspired by the generosity of Foundation donors.
“It’s so encouraging to have the support of people like Martin and Denise Pick, who care as much about our healthcare future as we do and are willing to invest in us and the technology we need to make our vision a reality,” said Dr. Mikula.
“This is more important than ever, given the system-wide challenges we are facing,” she continued. “Addressing these challenges requires fresh thinking and innovative solutions. We simply can’t move forward without the partnership of individuals, families, and organizations who share our vision for the hospital and what we can achieve together. Thank you.”
Download a copy of the PRHC Foundation’s related media release.