Donors are helping the future of healthcare unfold across PRHC’s spectrum of care

PRHC Foundation donors have funded millions of dollars in equipment and technology across the wide spectrum of cancer care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

From the Norm & Jessie Dysart Radiation Centre and Breast Assessment Centre, to lifesaving investments in laboratory and surgical equipment, to current fundraising for two new CT scanners, a second MRI machine and technology that supports the automated preparation of chemotherapy medication, donors are supporting cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment for patients from across our region, close to home.

Among these prominent cancer care departments and tools though, is a lesser known area of medicine that is quickly becoming essential not only to cancer care, but to the future of healthcare at your hospital. Interventional radiology is an innovative specialty where experts like PRHC’s Dr. Sohail Zaheer use high-tech imaging to help them steer needles, guidewires and catheters into tiny incisions in the skin and through blood vessels. It’s used to find and fix issues just about anywhere in the body.

With it, Dr. Zaheer and his colleagues can stop bleeding, take tissue samples, put in access lines for dialysis, open up blood vessels, cauterize tumours, or even stop tumours from growing by blocking their blood supply. These procedures are performed without the large incisions and associated risks of open surgery.

This means less pain and shorter recovery times for patients like Liz, who was diagnosed and treated for metastatic breast cancer at PRHC. Interventional radiology is just part of the spectrum of her care made possible by your donations.

Dr. Zaheer shares that Liz is now cancer-free and he recently removed her port-a-cath – a device he implanted under her skin two years before for easy access to chemotherapy medication.

“As an interventional radiologist, the best part of my job is helping people like Liz get back to their lives as quickly and painlessly as possible,” he says.

There are a lot of patients like Liz. PRHC’s interventional radiologists already perform 6,000 procedures a year and the need is growing. But PRHC’s interventional radiology facilities are 13 years old, need updating, and are too small to fit essential new equipment and the number of medical personnel required to use it.

To meet that need and bring new treatments to our region, the Foundation is committed to funding a $6 million investment in interventional radiology. With your help, PRHC will renovate and expand its facilities, outfitting them with state-of-the-art technology. Then Dr. Zaheer and his colleagues can perform more – and more complex – procedures. “Because donors care, the future of healthcare is unfolding right here,” he says.

For more information on this exciting investment, please call 705-876-5000, or make a donation online.

Impact Spotlight: First in Canada SPECT/CT bringing best possible care closer to home

A medical radiation technologist demonstrates a SPECT/CT machine

Did you know that with the help of donors, in 2019 PRHC invested in a cutting-edge new SPECT/CT machine that was the first of its kind in Canada? This state-of-the-art technology represented the biggest leap forward in nuclear medicine in over a decade.

Since its installation made possible by donor generosity, the new SPECT/CT has scanned approximately 2,000 patients a year, providing PRHC’s experts with detailed 3D images so they can more clearly identify and pinpoint the site of any abnormality, particularly tumours, diagnose and stage cancer, and determine how patients’ treatments are progressing.

SPECT/CT uses two types of scans that when combined, allow doctors to gather more precise information about a specific part of the body. Scans with this machine are higher quality, take less time and use less radiation than the machine it replaced. For patients this means a more precise and timely diagnosis, and a more comfortable and safe procedure.

“PRHC has been on the leading edge, using advanced technology like SPECT/CT to bring the best possible care closer to home for our region’s residents,” says PRHC Nuclear Medicine Charge Technologist Brad Plain. “This equipment allows us to obtain the best quality images possible in a much shorter period, helping patients feel less anxiety and discomfort during the process, and helping doctors make diagnoses and treatment decisions sooner.”

Historic $5 million donation to Cardiac Care

Dr. Warren Ball, Lesley Heighway, Jim Neill and Dr. Peter McLaughlin

PRHC has been supported by a tradition of philanthropy since its beginning. Now, a generous community member has stepped forward to honour that tradition and inspire others by making the largest donation in PRHC Foundation history: A $5 million commitment to PRHC’s Cardiac Centre of Excellence from donor Jim Neill.

Mr. Neill’s gift will have a transformational impact on patient care now and in the future, explains Dr. Warren Ball, PRHC Interventional Cardiologist & Head of Division, Cardiology. “This gift will help keep our hearts here today by investing in significantly improved technology,” he says, “and when you add state-of-the-art technology to our exceptional patient care, his investment will empower us to pursue our vision for tomorrow.”

Dr. Ball continues, “While the planning for this exciting opportunity is in the early stages, we’re committed to ensuring our patients have access to the finest, most comprehensive cardiac care available, right here at PRHC.”

Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation President & CEO, agrees. “As Dr. Ball said, our hospital has exciting plans for the future of cardiac care. It will take the collective support of donors to stoke the flames of innovation,” says Lesley, “but it takes the support of a visionary leader to ignite the spark. Mr. Neill’s incredible $5 million investment in cardiac care will do just that. We’re so grateful for his gift.”

For a time, Mr. Neill was based in Toronto where he lived minutes from multiple hospitals. He realized the significance of having a world-class Health Centre to serve a regional population when he moved back to the Peterborough area.

“I really appreciated how different it is here,” he says, “but you need the same care. I wanted to be part of that process of providing very timely cardiac care close to home. And they’ve got such great plans for the future, I thought I could make a contribution and be part of that.”

Inspiring others to join him in contributing to the healthcare of the region – no matter the size of the donation – is also a major consideration for Mr. Neill. “I hope that my donation will encourage and inspire others, as donors who have come before have inspired me,” he says.

Learn more about how to make an impact on Cardiac Care at PRHC.

The charitable opportunity with appreciated stocks

Seedlings at various stages of growth

When it comes time to support your favourite charities, do you instinctively reach for your chequebook or cash? Instead, consider the stocks in your portfolio that have generated substantial gains over the past few years.

Here are three great reasons that a stock donation may be right for you:

1. You can reduce capital gains.

Many investors have stocks they love and that have appreciated over many years. This sets the stage for capital gains when you sell. By transferring the stock to charity, you are eliminating the capital gains tax. As well, you are eligible to deduct the full fair market value of the stock you donated from your income taxes.

2. You can give more by donating the stock than by selling it and donating the proceeds.

Since you’re avoiding the capital gains tax when you donate a security, your stock gift will go further and make an even bigger impact because 100% of the stock value will provide meaningful support to the charity. And you’ll be eligible to deduct the full fair market value of the donated stock from your income taxes.

3. You can donate stock to the PRHC Foundation without headaches.

Gifts of stock are easy to make. Consult your financial advisor to decide which investments make the most financial and philanthropic impact. Reach out to our office or download our simple one-page Transfer of Securities form. You may also wish to discuss your gift intention and areas of care that are meaningful to you and your family.

Now is a great time to talk with your advisor and the charity you have in mind. To be eligible for a charitable deduction for a tax year, donations of stock need to be received by the end of the calendar year.

For more information, please contact Lesley Heighway, President & CEO, at 705-743-2121, ext. 3859 or send her an email.

Fundraising Spotlight: Together we’re working to keep our hearts here

PRHC's Interventional Cardiologists pose in the Cardiac Cath Lab

PRHC’s Interventional Cardiologists (from left to right) Dr. Katy Shufelt, Dr. Warren Ball and Dr. Phong Nguyen-Ho want to say a big “thank you!” to everyone who has donated so far to replace and upgrade PRHC’s regional Cardiac Cath Lab.

Through generous community events, mail appeals, business partnerships, and organization and individual donations, you’ve helped us to keep world-class, lifesaving cardiac care close to home!

Learn more about the Cardiac Cath Lab.

Ushering in a new era of healthcare at PRHC

Cardiac doctor hugging patient at bedside

So much has been happening at Peterborough Regional Health Centre! We’re sharing a few of the highlights as we reflect on the last year and look ahead to the future of healthcare at PRHC…

For so many of us, the pandemic highlighted just how fortunate we are to have outstanding healthcare available in our region when we need it most.

Throughout COVID-19, your hospital’s role in our region became increasingly important, especially during the third wave when a critical care surge threatened to overwhelm Intensive Care Units across Ontario.

PRHC served as the lead for the five hospitals in our region and was the receiving hospital for patient transfers. The Health Centre ramped up its critical care capacity and over five months, accepted 76 patient transfers from outside our region to support the system-wide response to the surge.

As vaccination rates rose and case counts trended downwards, PRHC began ramping up non-urgent services and adjusted its visiting policy. No matter what comes, however, your hospital continues to manage and carefully allocate resources within this challenging healthcare landscape while continuing to advocate for the current and future patient care needs of PRHC, our community and our region.

Peterborough has become one of the fastest-growing communities in Canada, with one of the oldest populations. During the past five years, PRHC has seen increases in its patient volumes and the level of care those patients need. In response, the Health Centre has expanded and enhanced programs and services as both a community hospital and a regional referral hub for our surrounding communities. Their goal and ours remains the same: to continue to bring specialized care closer to home for patients. That’s a mission that’s never been more important.

One exciting project underway is the launch of PRHC’s Clinical Information System (CIS), Epic. Launching a CIS is one of the most important transformations a hospital can make. It’s been almost a decade in the works at PRHC. Epic will enable seamless access to health information across the Health Centre and six other hospital organizations, enhancing patient safety and quality of care. This collaboration represents the largest number of individual organizations joining together on the Epic system in Ontario. It will transform the way healthcare is delivered for generations to come.

Looking ahead to the next five, 10 and 20 years of the hospital’s evolution, PRHC is in the early stages of its Master Planning process.

In its bold vision for the future, PRHC will be the go-to large acute care hospital between Kingston and the Greater Toronto Area for patients to receive care. We and our donors will be by their side, helping fund essential equipment and technology, and exciting innovations, to support this transformation.

Thank you for your continued support as we usher in the next era of healthcare in our region!