When Jennie Ireland got the diagnosis she’d been dreading, she suddenly found herself a 42-year-old single mom with breast cancer, scared of what her illness would mean for her son. But being able to get care in her community with donor-funded equipment meant less worry. “Receiving care at PRHC was my lifeline,” she says.
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On Saturday June 14, 2025 Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival will be back at Little Lake in Del Crary Park, Peterborough for a great day on the water in support of PRHC Foundation and cancer care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre!
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Imagine suffering a cardiac crisis and being rushed to a hospital far from your family and friends. Right now, patients at PRHC who are dealing with heart rhythm issues (arrhythmia) must travel to Kingston or Toronto for treatment. But with your support, Peterborough Regional Health Centre will change that with a new Cardiac Electrophysiology (EP) Lab where experts will be able to address electrical conditions of the heart.
Supported by the Foundation’s $60 million Campaign for PRHC, our hospital is committed to expanding its cardiac services by building a state-of-the-art Cardiac EP Lab. Having this lifesaving equipment and technology will mean patients can get vital tests and procedures in our region, saving them stress, time, and the financial burden of travelling long-distances for care. By investing in the EP Lab, you’ll also be helping PRHC attract new, top medical experts who can diagnose and treat complex electrical conditions of the heart.
Thanks to donor support, PRHC recently renovated its two Cardiac Cath Lab suites, where expert teams fix cardiac blockages, restore blood flow, and even stop heart attacks while they’re happening. Now, we need your help to take PRHC’s world-class cardiac care a step further with electrophysiology. Your gift today will help make sure everyone’s heart stays in good hands – right here at home.
You can make a donation online, or for more information, please call 705-876-5000.
Peterborough Regional Health Centre has been recognized as one of Canada’s best employers. In January, PRHC earned an impressive spot on Forbes’ list of Canada’s top employers, ranking among the top 20 healthcare and social services employers nationwide.
One of the things that helps set our regional hospital apart is the incredible support from donors. Your generosity plays a pivotal role in helping PRHC attract and retain top-tier healthcare professionals. By supporting state-of-the-art equipment and cutting-edge technology, donors are helping create an environment that fosters excellence in healthcare delivery, where the best and brightest want to work.
At a time when healthcare faces numerous challenges, including staff shortages, PRHC is making great strides in recruitment, especially in nursing. Your regional hospital welcomed 250 nurses last year alone. There are now over 1,600 on staff – a compassionate team of dedicated professionals. Led by a strong leadership group, their skills and expertise play a vital role in delivering exceptional patient care at PRHC.
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With your support, strong leadership, and a growing team of nurses, our regional hospital is set to continue providing exceptional care for years to come.
Due to an internal promotion, we’re looking for a new Executive Assistant – the next great member of our team. Is it you? If you believe as we do that reimagining healthcare at Peterborough Regional Health Centre has never been more important than it is right now, read on!
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Read an e-version of the PRHC Foundation’s Winter 2024/25 issue of The Pulse newsletter to find out more about how you are reimagining patient care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
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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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.”
“You never expect it to happen to you until it does,” says Nick Beamish.
It was Christmas time in 2018, when Nick started feeling ‘off’. An athletic guy, who coached high school sports, Nick was used to pushing his limits, so when he began experiencing extreme exhaustion, he chalked it up to stress. But as the days went on, it became harder to ignore.
With a nudge from his wife, Nick went to the emergency department at Peterborough Regional Health Centre. There, doctors hooked him up to an electrocardiogram (ECG) to test his heart. Within minutes, alarm bells started going off. “Doctors were rushing over with carts, with paddles to shock me,” he says.
Doctors discovered he had a life-threatening issue with his heart rhythm. PRHC didn’t have a Cardiac Electrophysiology – or EP – Lab to provide the necessary treatment, so Nick was rushed to Kingston for care. He spent Christmas in the ICU there, far from home and family. “It was tough and a mental struggle,” says Nick.
Since then, he hasn’t had any issues with his heart. But Nick worries it could happen again – to himself or someone else. That’s why he’s become a donor, volunteer and ambassador for the PRHC Foundation’s $60 million Campaign for PRHC, supporting bringing lifesaving electrophysiology to our region.
With donor support, an advanced Cardiac EP Lab at PRHC will bring new, world-class cardiac treatment and therapies to our region for the first time, eliminating the need for patients to travel far from home for care during an already stressful and urgent time.
“It’s important to be able to get care closer to home. Donors can help make that happen,” says Nick.
For more information or to donate, please call 705-876-5000 or click here.
Sherri Wilfong, owner of Hair by Fusion, was inspired to host her “Blow-dry For a Cause” fundraiser in memory of Sofie Roberts, the daughter of her friend and former salon sales representative Brooke.
All proceeds from blow-dries and select sales at Hair by Fusion up until December 14th will be donated in support of pediatric cancer care at PRHC – inspired by the care Sofie received at the Health Centre.
Plus, those who make a $20 donation to the fundraiser – either online or in-store – will have their name entered to win one of four gift baskets filled with salon products (including $1,000 worth of products donated by Redken).
The gift basket draw will take place at a special birthday party event on December 14th at 4pm, two days before what would have been Sofie’s tenth birthday.
Thank you to the team at Hair by Fusion, and the Roberts family, for choosing to honour Sofie in this way. Donations raised will directly support an expanded, purpose-built pediatric cancer care space designed for the expert delivery of care close to home for vulnerable, young patients.
