Learn more about “the best kept secret in medicine”

A doctor poses outside the hospital

Dr. Fady Abdelsayed is an Interventional Radiologist at PRHC. We asked him to tell us about interventional radiology, known as “the best kept secret in medicine,” and how an upgrade and expansion to PRHC’s IR facilities will improve care for thousands of patients in our region…

What is interventional radiology?

In interventional radiology we use real-time imaging – radiology – to find and correct, or intervene in, health conditions. We use CT scans, fluoroscopy or ultrasound to steer needles, guidewires and catheters into tiny incisions in the skin or through blood vessels to perform a procedure.

What kind of procedures use interventional radiology?

Interventional radiology is becoming integral to patient care. We use it during scheduled procedures and in emergencies. It’s helpful for a wide range of health conditions and patients. If a patient has an infection, we might use interventional radiology to drain it. With cancer, we might use it to do a biopsy. Bleeding – we might use interventional radiology to stop the hemorrhage. And if surgery is too high-risk for a patient, this kind of procedure could be a safer, faster option. Some days, no two procedures are the same or an everyday procedure needs a new ‘twist’ to get the best result for that patient.

How does interventional radiology support great patient care at PRHC?

It helps us innovate and push the boundaries of what we can do for patients. It often lets us quickly give a patient relief from discomfort or help get them a diagnosis. Because it’s minimally invasive, patients have less pain, shorter hospital stays, and face less risks than with surgery.

If PRHC has this service now, why should donors invest in it?

Right now, interventional radiology is used for almost 6,000 patients at PRHC every year, but the two interventional radiology suites were built 13 years ago. They’re too small to fit the number of medical personnel and state-of-the-art equipment we need to expand and offer this care to more patients. We can do this with renovated suites, a new step-down unit and cutting-edge equipment. We’ll also be able to introduce new methods to treat things like stroke and cancer. We all want to give our patients the best care possible, but the government funds only a portion of the hospital’s costs. So, we’re very grateful to our community for helping us by donating to the PRHC Foundation. Thank you, donors!

For more information or to support this exciting investment, please click here or call 705-876-5000.

Haircare in support of healthcare!

A window sign advertises a hair and art studio's fundraiser for the PRHC Foundation

Thank you to Blank Canvas Hair & Art Studio in Millbrook! For the month of July, the Studio donatedg $1 from every haircut and $2 from every colour service to the PRHC Foundation in support of Peterborough Regional Health Centre’s hardworking healthcare workers. Plus, for those who wanted to support the initiative, but couldn’t get in for a hair appointment, the Studio sold wildflower arrangements in an assortment of glass vases with all proceeds being donated the PRHC Foundation.

Chemung Lake District Lions Club supporting pediatric cancer care with a takeaway dinner

Thank you to the wonderful volunteers at the Chemung Lake District Lions Club who are hosting a curbside pick-up fundraising dinner, Saturday, July 10, in support of pediatric cancer care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre. 

Dinner is $12 per person and includes ham, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, cornbread muffins and cinnamon knots in a microwave-safe container.

Call to reserve: 705-657-2671

Pickup 3:00-5:00pm July 10: Lions Park, Ward St., Bridgenorth

July bottle returns to The Beer Store will support your hospital!

During the month of July, proceeds from all bottle returns at Peterborough and area The Beer Store locations were in support of the efforts of the dedicated healthcare workers at Peterborough Regional Health Centre through the PRHC Foundation.

“We are thankful to the incredible hospitals and community organizations that are helping Ontario navigate through COVID-19. We recognize the tremendous efforts your organization is making to support your community during these extraordinary times.” -Peterborough and area The Beer Store employees

Thank you to The Beer Store for making us one of your charities of choice for July! Cheers to you all!

Reimagined 2021 Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival celebrates 20 years of fun and fundraising!

On Saturday June 12, 2021 Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival officially celebrated its 20th anniversary.

We’re so grateful for this beloved event! Over 20 years it has raised more than $3.6 million to help ensure world-class breast and other cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment are available to patients from across our region. Proceeds from the points-based 2021 Festival that promoted friendly competition for all ages through fun activities and fundraising will help fund a new, state-of-the-art diagnostic ultrasound for PRHC’s Breast Assessment Centre.

The primary use of the ultrasound is to help diagnose breast abnormalities such as a lump and to characterize potential abnormalities seen on mammography. The new ultrasound technology comes with many advancements that will improve image quality, increase its accuracy and make the patient experience more comfortable.

To date, the virtual Festival has raised $48,591.10!

On behalf of everyone at PRHC, especially patients and their families, thank you to the organizing committee, Survivors Abreast and all of the passionate sponsors, volunteers, participants and donors who make the Festival a success every year!

Your support of Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival will help to ensure that breast cancer patients have access to the latest, customized treatments, leading-edge technology and world-class care at your regional hospital. 

Learn more about the Festival and how you can still donate here!

Summer Sizzle raises $9,000 in support of the Cath Lab!

Four people wearing masks hold an oversized donation cheque for $9,000

A huge thank you to Kawartha Clean Air & Burning Sensations Home Comfort Centre for their Summer Sizzle Raffle, which raised $9,000 in support of reinvestment in Peterborough Regional Health Centre’s Cardiac Cath Lab!

We’re grateful for this generous donation, and everyone who supported this initiative – by buying tickets, helping with ticket printing and sales, and getting the word out. And congratulations, Dawn, winner of the Napoleon gourmet grill valued at $1,800!

Issue with reply envelopes in our recent newsletter

Icon for Pulse Newsletter

It seems there was an issue at our mail house and some donors received a postage-paid envelope addressed to the Youth Emergency Shelter (YES) with their recent issue of The Pulse. Our vendor apologizes for their error and any confusion it may have caused.

If you received the incorrect envelope and were intending to mail us a tribute, donation or legacy notification, please give us a call at 705-876-5000 or send us an email and we’d be happy to send you a new postage-paid envelope in the mail. You can also visit the related pages on our website any time.

In the meantime, we’ve been in touch with our friends at YES and they will ensure any mail sent to them in error is identified and forwarded to us right away. Thank you to everyone who reached out to alert us to the issue, and to all of you for supporting your hospital!

We love our hardworking healthcare workers!

A manager gives two nurses gift boxes
A message of thanks on a card with a gift box

Peterborough Regional Health Centre has an incredible team of nurses, staff and doctors. Over the last year, they have demonstrated courage and strength while continuing to provide care and support for patients and their families.

We’re so proud of them, and grateful for the work they do, every day. And we’re grateful to all of the donors who have helped us support them throughout the pandemic.

Donor generosity funded tools and supports such as additional scrubs, new plexiglass screening stations at hospital entry points, and iPads and supportive equipment for the Virtual Visiting Program so isolated patients can connect with loved ones.

Thanks to your donations, PRHC is better positioned in 2021 to continue caring for as many patients as possible while keeping patients, families, volunteers and PRHC’s 3,200 workers safe.

Now, PRHC Foundation is honoured to partner again with your hospital to show our healthcare providers how much we – and you, through your donations and kind messages of thanks – appreciate them. This week, 3,200 wellness kits made possible by the generosity of Foundation donors are being delivered to the Health Centre’s nurses, staff and physicians. Each kit includes both fun and healthy treats, and self-care products.

We also included one of a selection of the hundreds of personal notes of appreciation Foundation donors sent to us this year for our PRHC team members. We join the hospital in hoping these tokens of our and your gratitude bring a smile to their faces. 

As they tackle the third wave, our work continues. Our mission has never been more important. In addition to funding PRHC’s most urgent needs including COVID-19, your gifts are helping to give the hospital’s experts the essential tools they need to save lives.

If you’d like to support your hospital, please visit prhcfoundation.ca/love/. There you can send a message to the PRHC team and make a donation in their honour. Thank you for continuing to show them your grateful hearts!

PRHC is bringing cutting-edge new CT scanners to our region with your help

A Medical Radiation Technologist and volunteer demonstrate a CT scanner
A radiologist stands in front of a CT scanner

Dr. Mario Voros is a PRHC Radiologist who’s leading the charge to bring two new, state-of-the-art CT scanners to the hospital. We asked him to tell us about this cutting-edge equipment and how it will improve care for thousands of patients in our region…

What is CT scan technology?

A CT – or computed tomography – scan is a more powerful, dynamic, moving X-Ray. Unlike a traditional 2-dimensional X-Ray, CT scanners create hundreds of incredibly detailed cross-sectional images and 3-dimensional images of a patient’s anatomy. They’re unique because they can display a combination of soft tissue, bones and blood vessels in a single image.

Why are CT scans an important diagnostic tool?

Radiologists call CT the workhorse – or backbone – of the hospital. At PRHC, about 28,000 CT scans are performed each year because they’re crucial to rapidly confirming a diagnosis and beginning lifesaving treatment for many seriously sick or injured patients. We perform a CT scan for patients with head injuries to rule out a brain bleed. We use CT for rapid stroke assessment and to identify blockages or damage in arteries. We image for common issues like kidney stones and appendicitis. We use CT in cancer care. CT helps doctors diagnose fractures and issues related to trauma. A chest CT can even identify some consequences of COVID-19, like pneumonia.

Why does PRHC need new CT equipment?

PRHC’s current CT scanners are more than 12 years old and nearing the end of their lifespan. They must be replaced with new equipment. This is an opportunity to make significant advancements in our critical CT services because the technology has come a long way in a decade. We need the most advanced imaging technology available, so that every doctor at PRHC can do our jobs to the best of our ability.

How will the new CT scanners benefit patients?

The new CT scanners will fit the needs of the hospital now and well into the future. They’re the best available scanners on the market. They’re faster, meaning shorter scan times. This is better for all patients, but especially those in pain or distress. They’ll provide much better-quality images, making it easier for my colleagues and me to see what’s happening inside a patient’s body. And there’s less radiation used during a scan, which means less risk to the patient.

How will donors help make this equipment advancement possible?

The government doesn’t fund most of the technology doctors, nurses and staff use to provide patient care every day. So, we rely on donors to help us invest in equipment that is vital to the world-class care we provide to patients from across our region. It’s donors who make that care possible by giving to the PRHC Foundation to help fund cutting-edge tools, like essential new CT scanners. And at PRHC, we’re all very grateful for that support.

For more information or to support this exciting investment, please click here or call 705-876-5000.