Donors are helping transform the path from hospital to home with a new model of care for short-stay patients

On December 9, the Reactivation Care Centre opened its doors at Peterborough Regional Health Centre, providing patients with specialized care so they can return home safely. PRHC Foundation donors helped make this possible through $400,000 in funding. 

The 12-bed Reactivation Care Centre is helping PRHC patients who no longer require acute care, navigate their next steps with a new treatment model. With a focus on seniors, the Centre supports patients through short-stay admissions, where each individual works towards specific goals so they can return home in safety and comfort.

“The Reactivation Care Unit is a pilot project, ensuring that every patient has access to specialized, restorative care to prepare them for a successful discharge from the hospital,” says Dr. Lynn Mikula, President & CEO of PRHC. “It’s also helping our hospital address the increasing demands of our growing and aging community in the region.”

At the heart of the Centre is a team of skilled professionals who provide personalized, comprehensive care, working closely with caregivers as essential partners in the recovery process. This team-based approach ensures that each patient’s unique needs are met—patients like Flo Cranley (pictured above), who expressed her thanks to donors for their support of the new facility and its equipment.

Another patient benefiting from the Reactivation Care Centre is Jeff Dumoulin (pictured). A 65-year-old horse trainer, Jeff was injured in an accident with one of his horses in 2022. The incident left him with long-lasting mobility challenges, leading to frequent stays in the hospital.

“I’ve been in and out of the hospital. Every time I return home, I end up falling and coming right back,” Jeff shares. “I was trying, but I needed more support.”

When Jeff found out that he had a spot in the new Reactivation Care Centre, he felt hopeful.

“The minute I walked in the door, the staff had a plan,” says Jeff. “This is the difference of whether I go home and can walk up and down my stairs again. Everyone in my life realizes I’m getting the help I need to get back to living a functional life.”

Stories like Jeff’s are made possible by the generosity of donors who understand the importance of world-class care, close to home. Thanks to their support, $400,000 in funding was provided to the Reactivation Care Centre through the PRHC Foundation’s Campaign for PRHC.

“One of the focus areas for the campaign is to address urgent needs at the hospital as they arise,” says Lesley Heighway, President & CEO of PRHC Foundation. She explains that ‘undesignated’ gifts to the Foundation can be directed to the highest priority need, which enables a quick response to the hospital’s most pressing requests. “So it’s you, donors, who enabled us to fund critical equipment such as patient beds, vital signs monitors, and specialized wheelchairs for the Centre,” she says.

“With these gifts you’re empowering us to do what the hospital needs, quickly, when they need it. Your support is truly reimagining healthcare. Thank you!”

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

The Century 21 Lakers are partnering with us for the 2025 season!

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers are teaming up with the PRHC Foundation for the 2025 Major Series Lacrosse season! This collaboration brings together two legacy organizations in our region through a shared goal of supporting world-class care, close to home.

“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.”

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.

Throughout the 2025 MSL season, PRHC Foundation team members and volunteers – the reImagineers – will be at Lakers home games, where fans can learn more about the campaign and how to get involved. The Lakers will be selling limited edition merchandise with proceeds from sales supporting the campaign.

The Lakers will also host a special PRHC Family Night on Thursday, June 26, when they welcome the Cobourg Kodiaks. PRHC staff will receive a promo code to purchase tickets at a discounted price. The Lakeshow will wear special Canada Day themed jerseys for the game and these sweaters will be auctioned off after the match in support of the Campaign for PRHC.

“The Lakers are a championship organization with strong community ties,” says PRHC Foundation President & CEO, Lesley Heighway. “Just like our regional hospital, they represent dedication, heart, and excellence. We know how strongly this community rallies around the Lakeshow and PRHC, so together, we can help reimagine healthcare in our region.”

Heart of Healthcare – Episode 5: reImagining the future of mental health care at PRHC

More people are seeking mental health care than ever before, with waitlists at Peterborough Regional Health Centre growing. To meet that increasing need and support the higher standard of care expected today in mental health spaces built more than 16 years ago, it’s crucial to make changes now so patients receive the best care possible.

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Better care for breast cancer patients

In 2024, PRHC introduced exciting, new donor-funded technology for breast cancer patients called breast seed localization. As PRHC general surgeon Dr. Brie Banks explained at the Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival donation presentation in June, the technology is already making an impact on care. 

Essentially, breast seed localization is a tiny radioactive seed, about the size of a grain of rice, placed directly at the site of a patient’s tumour. It helps surgeons locate the tumour more precisely during surgery. 

This process is a big improvement from older methods, which were less comfortable, more invasive and stressful for patients. And the best part? Because of this donor-funded advancement, PRHC can perform more breast cancer surgeries every day. That means more patients are getting the care they need, faster.

“Having breast seed at PRHC has dramatically increased access to state-of-the-art surgery for breast cancer patients. Not only are we able to look after more patients in the day, but the process is much less difficult for them. Seed localization is more comfortable and convenient,” says Dr. Banks. “I want to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to all the donors who made this advancement possible.”

Record-breaking donation from Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival

On October 9th, the PRHC Foundation proudly hosted this year’s Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival gift announcement. Together, the Festival’s host team, Survivors Abreast, the Dragon Boat Festival Planning Committee, Platinum Sponsor Kawartha Credit Union, paddlers, volunteers, and supporters, presented the Foundation with a record-breaking donation of $312,025.18 – the largest single gift in the Festival’s history!

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“Where you heal helps determine how you heal.”

A severe mental health crisis led Ashley Webster to seek emergency care at PRHC. There she started to receive the tools she needed to make positive changes in her life. To say thanks for that care and inspire donations in support of other mental health patients, she’s sharing her story…

“Imagine a world that’s always dark, where every step feels heavy. To me, it felt like a never-ending night, where the light just couldn’t break through. When you’ve felt this darkness, you want to do whatever you can to stop someone else from feeling that same isolation.

During my treatment and recovery, my garden became my sanctuary. With the sunshine on my face and my hands in the soil, those difficult days felt a little brighter and easier to handle. But, like recovering from any illness, my journey to healing requires time and space.

Just like cardiologists and surgeons need the right technology to treat our bodies, mental health professionals need the right tools and facilities to treat our minds. That includes spaces that are specially designed for mental health patients: rooms with plenty of natural light, and secure outdoor areas that help patients heal in safety and in peace. Knowing how important my garden was to me during my darkest days, I became a PRHC Foundation donor to make sure others have healing spaces in their treatment for recovery.

Please join me in supporting modern mental health facilities at PRHC and be part of investing in the future of mental health care in our region.”

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

Make hope and recovery possible

More people than ever before are seeking mental health care. Patient wait lists are growing and at PRHC, the spaces where mental health diagnosis and treatment take place are over 15 years old and aren’t designed to support today’s standard of care.

For example, current patients of PRHC’s Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) have no access to the outside even though their stays could be weeks or even months long.

We can help by funding modern, safe spaces where PRHC’s doctors, nurses and staff will provide expert, compassionate care. With donor support, PRHC will invest $1.75 million to create a specially designed outdoor PICU courtyard to give patients access to natural light and fresh air, and support therapeutic best practices – helping shape the future of mental health care in our region.

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