“If PRHC had a hybrid OR, both of my surgeries could have been done in one day.”

Grateful PRHC vascular care patient and PRHC Foundation donor Mike Leach tells his patient story with the hope that you’ll donate to bring a hybrid operating room to Peterborough Regional Health Centre…

“I’m Mike Leach, and I wouldn’t be here today without PRHC and PRHC Foundation donors.

For a long time, I ignored it. My legs felt heavy. My calves cramped like bricks. Even walking short distances was exhausting.

What started as a small blister turned into a serious diabetic ulcer. I was told that without surgery, I could lose my foot.

At PRHC, my vascular surgeon Dr. Sajjid Hossain performed two separate procedures to restore blood flow in my legs: one to place a stent and another to open blocked arteries. Both surgeries worked, but they had to be done separately.

Two surgeries. Two recoveries. Twice the risk.  

If PRHC had a hybrid operating room, both procedures could have been done at the same time, in the same room, with less risk and a faster recovery.

That’s why I’m asking for your help today.

Your gift will help bring a state-of-the-art hybrid OR to PRHC. With a hybrid OR, procedures will take less time. Patients will face fewer complications and recover faster. And advanced imaging will help experts like Dr. Hossain be even more precise, spotting and managing complications right away, while keeping patients like me close to home.

Thanks to PRHC and donors, I got my independence back. I can work, garden (even if weeds are the only thing I seem to grow), and tinker in the garage. None of this would have been possible without this hospital, or the lifesaving equipment past generosity has supported.

That’s why your support matters so much. Because without your crucial investments in cutting-edge equipment, patients like me could lose more than mobility, we could lose our independence, our livelihoods, even our lives.

Your gift today will help build a hybrid operating room that will transform care for patients like me, reducing risk, shortening recovery, and giving more people in our region the chance to keep living life to the fullest. Especially since the government doesn’t fund hospital equipment. Your generosity is the only way to bring this lifesaving technology to PRHC, and to patients like me.

Thank you.”

To join Mike in donating in support of a hybrid OR, please click here.

Giving options during the Canada Post mail disruption

Through your support of the Campaign for PRHC, we’re transforming patient care by investing in state-of-the-art technology the government doesn’t fund, bringing new lifesaving services to our region, fuelling innovation, and attracting the best and brightest healthcare professionals to PRHC.

During the postal disruption, our commitment to reimagining health and care in our region remains strong. While the uncertainty continues, there are other convenient ways to give.

Please consider making your donation…

  • Online: Click here or on the “Donate Now” menu at the right of our website’s main navigation bar
  • By phone: Call us at 705-876-5000
  • In person: Stop by our offices inside Peterborough Regional Health Centre (come in through the main hospital entrance, pass the cafeteria, and follow the hall to your left to office W4770 next to the main visitor elevators) – we’re here Monday to Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm

Thank you for empowering world-class care, close to home.

Golfing “fore!” PRHC

The PRHC Foundation is pleased to have been chosen as the beneficiary of the second annual Peterborough Mayoral Invitational Charity Golf Tournament, sponsored by Cogeco. This year the tournament will take place Monday, September 8 at Kawartha Golf Club. All proceeds will support the Campaign for PRHC and our commitment to reimagine health and care for patients from across our region. Thank you to the Mayor, tournament organizers and sponsors, Kawartha Golf Club, and all the golfers for your support.

  • Date: Monday, September 8, 2025
  • Location: Kawartha Golf Club – 777 Clonsilla Ave. Peterborough ON K9J 6Z6
  • Registration & Lunch: 11am
  • Call to Carts & Opening Remarks: 12:30pm
  • Shotgun Start: 1pm

To register, learn more or for sponsorship details, please visit the tournament’s website.

Celebrating the opening of the donor-funded Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit Courtyard

On August 6, 2025, donors, community members and the media joined PRHC and the PRHC Foundation to celebrate the opening of the new Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Courtyard. This secure, purpose-built outdoor space is designed to support the recovery and well-being of some of the hospital’s most vulnerable mental health patients.

Made possible by donor generosity, the $1.5 million courtyard is more than a new physical space—it’s a symbol of compassion, community and progress. It’s also one of the early mental health priorities brought to life through the Campaign for PRHC.

“This is a transformative moment for mental health care at PRHC,” says Lesley Heighway, President & CEO of the PRHC Foundation. “The PICU Courtyard changes where and how patients heal. It will support PRHC’s healthcare team in delivering expert, compassionate care.”

Patients in the 6-bed PICU have never had access to the outdoors, even though hospital stays can last weeks or even months. “This secure, outdoor treatment space is not only safe and dignified—it’s healing,” says Jennifer Cox, PRHC’s Director of Mental Health & Addictions. “It allows our patients to engage in mindfulness, movement and connection with others and their environment in ways that improve outcomes and quality of care.”

The new outdoor space has already been recognized as a model for other Ontario hospitals. And the need for such innovation is clear: like hospitals across the country, PRHC has seen a staggering increase in patient volumes. In the last year alone, PRHC experienced more than 31,000 mental health patient visits.

“Thanks to donor support, PICU patients now have access to natural light and fresh air—factors that are proven to improve outcomes, reduce hospital stays, and decrease the need for medications like antidepressants,” says Sean Martin, Vice President of Clinical Services & Health Equity and Chief Quality Officer at PRHC.

The PICU Courtyard has been designed with outdoor therapy in mind, with input from mental health experts, PRHC staff, and the lived experience of volunteer community members. Every detail of the space was chosen with intention:

  • Colourful native vegetation to attract butterflies, a natural aid for mindfulness
  • Seating areas in different configurations that offer patients solitude when they need it and space to visit with care providers and loved ones
  • Open gathering areas for group activities and social connection
  • A shaded area to accommodate those who are sensitive to sunlight due to their treatments
  • A colourful, tactile recreation surface

During the PICU Courtyard celebrations, Lesley also announced a $10 million expansion to the Campaign for PRHC.   

“The hospital has brought forward some additional, extraordinarily visionary, future-focused projects,” she says. “These projects will fundamentally change the way patient care is delivered across all areas of care at PRHC. We’re ready to rise to the occasion once again and we know our incredibly generous community is ready, too.”

The Campaign for PRHC began with a $60 million dollar goal and is now a $70 million campaign. This increase will allow PRHC to move forward with cutting-edge initiatives that directly respond to the specific healthcare needs of our region. One of those bold, innovative projects is a digital command centre.

“It’s still in the early stages of planning,” says Sean. “Once complete, the command centre will be a behind-the-scenes hub that will use real-time data to streamline patient flow, reduce wait times, and improve access to care.”

“This is a bold, transformational project and we’re excited to say, yes, let’s support it,” says Lesley. “Let’s continue to reimagine health and care—just like donors have done through the PICU Courtyard.”

Pictured left to right: (back row) PRHC VP Finance & Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer Jen Taylor, PRHC Outpatient Mental Health Manager Miriam McCann, PRHC Mental Health & Addictions Chief & Medical Director Dr. Raj Basker, PRHC PICU Manager Dakota Forsyth, PRHC Foundation President & CEO Lesley Heighway; (front row) PRHC Director of Mental Health & Addictions Jennifer Cox, PRHC RN Erica Earl, PRHC RN Shayne Luangvisa.

Limited edition Lakers sunglasses in support of PRHC

As part of the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers’ partnership with the PRHC Foundation for the 2025 Major Series Lacrosse season, the Lakers are selling limited edition sunglasses with all proceeds in support of the Campaign for PRHC. 

The Campaign for PRHC publicly launched in 2024 with $52.9 million raised to date. The goal is to help PRHC invest in state-of-the-art technology, bring new lifesaving services to our region, fuel innovation, and attract the best and brightest healthcare professionals. The Lakers are enthusiastic campaign ambassadors. “The Lakers are all about community, and it doesn’t get more ‘community’ than supporting the doctors, nurses and staff at our regional hospital,” says Lakers board member Len Powers. “PRHC is where our families turn in moments of greatest need and the Lakers are excited to rally around the Campaign for PRHC and support our regional hospital.”

Players, staff and board members have been seen sporting their own shiny red shades this season and now fans can get their own pair for $10 from the Petes Store at the Peterborough Memorial Centre or the PRHC Foundation Gift Shop inside PRHC. Let’s go Lakers!

Did you know…? Vascular disease is the leading cause of preventable death and disability in Canada

The vascular system is one of the most important systems in the body. It’s a highly trained network that connects all the organs and all of our tissues so that we can function. The network includes the arteries, the veins and the lymph nodes, from head to toe. It allows for the flow of all of the nutrients that we need to think, to speak, to move, and to feel well.

In Canada, vascular disease is the leading cause of preventable death and disability. It happens when there are issues with how blood flows through the body—whether that’s in the arteries, the veins or even with the blood itself.

Vascular patients tend to have multiple life-threatening conditions that require complex, time-sensitive care. If that care has to happen in a traditional operating suite, they will have one surgery, recover, have another surgery, recover, and so on. But that traditional process extends the length of treatment a lot longer than necessary and many patients aren’t strong enough or don’t have time to endure multiple procedures and their recoveries.

A solution exists. A hybrid operating room allows specialized clinical teams to perform diagnostic imaging, minimally invasive procedures, and complex surgeries on one patient, in one room, during one surgical session.

This groundbreaking approach offers safer and more seamless care, leading to better patient outcomes, and ensuring patients experience…

  • Less pain
  • Fewer complications
  • Faster recovery time

Currently, PRHC’s operating suites don’t support hybrid care. To create a hybrid OR at PRHC for the first time, $6 million in donor support is needed. The PRHC Foundation is committed to making this a reality and reimagining surgical care for thousands of patients from across our region.

For more information or to donate, please call 705-876-5000 or click here.

Charitable Giving Advisor, Community Giving & Engagement

Full Time, Permanent
$58,000-$68,000

The PRHC Foundation is looking for a Charitable Giving Advisor, Community Giving & Engagement to join us in a full-time, permanent role. This opportunity comes as one of our valued team members returns to post-secondary studies. We’re proud to support their next chapter and are now looking for someone equally passionate to help carry this important work forward.

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