Happy National Nursing Week!

To all nurses, thank you for being here for us when it matters most! During this National Nursing Week – and every week – we’re grateful for the compassionate care you provide to patients from all across our region.

The expert work you do inspires donations in your honour to the PRHC Foundation to help you care for other patients. They fund state-of-the-art technology, fuel innovation, bring new services to our region, and in turn help the hospital attract more colleagues to join you at PRHC.

Happy National Nursing Week!

Happy National Physicians’ Day!

To all doctors, thank you for being here for us when it matters most! On this National Physicians’ Day – and every day – we’re grateful for the compassionate care you provide to patients from all across our region.

The expert work you do inspires donations in your honour to the PRHC Foundation to help you care for other patients. They fund state-of-the-art technology, fuel innovation, bring new services to our region, and in turn help the hospital attract more colleagues to join you at PRHC.

Happy National Physicians’ Day!

Trent River Stables hosting Jackpot Barrel Race in support of PRHC cancer care

On May 20, Trent River Stables will be hosting a fun-filled day at the barrel races in support of cancer care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre. In addition to barrel racing and polebending, there will also be vendors, a silent auction, and a canteen lunch!

Trent River Stables’ Jackpot Barrel Race
  • Date: Monday, May 20th, 2024 
  • Location: Trent River Stables at 202 Donegal Road, Norwood, ON 
  • Schedule:
    • 8:00am Exhibitions 
    • 9:00am Open riding 
    • 10:00am Show starts

Please note that the races will take place rain or shine. There is no fee for spectators, just bring your lawn chair and be ready to cheer! All ages and skill levels are welcome to compete, and you can pre-register at the email below or enter on the day of the event.

For more information or questions about the event, please contact Trent River Stables by phone at 705-931-4692 or by email.

Tim Hortons Smile Cookies are back at PRHC and bigger than ever!

Tim Hortons Smile Cookie week is taking place from April 29th to May 5th this year (while supplies last)! 

The PRHC cafeteria’s Compass Canada Tim Hortons location has been selected as part of a pilot project with bigger Smile Cookies and more chocolate chunks! These new and improved Smile Cookies are $2, and 100% of the proceeds from this location’s Smile Cookie sales will be donated to the PRHC Foundation in support of the equipment and technology used every day at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

Thanks to Compass Canada Manager, Warren, and his team for all the work they do every year to make this fundraiser a success, and thanks to all the PRHC Smile Cookie fans for their support!

Thank you and happy National Volunteer Week 2024!

The work we do wouldn’t be possible without our wonderful volunteers.

From the PRHC Foundation Board of Directors and Board Committees, to the Allied Professional Advisory Council and Campaign Council, from PRHC’s Gift Shop and office volunteers, to the organizers, participants and supporters of community events, to our Foundation ambassadors and personal fundraisers – we’re so grateful for your time, energy and skills, as well as your donations, in support of PRHC.

Thank you for your generous commitment to the PRHC Foundation, your hospital and your community! Together we’re shaping the future of patient care at PRHC.

“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.

You’re helping hospital staff prevent burnout

In January, donations helped your hospital bring Dr. Jillian Horton, an award-winning medical educator, writer, musician, podcaster, and guest speaker, to an event attended by the Health Centre’s professional staff, including doctors, dentists, midwives and nurse practitioners.

Dr. Horton develops programs related to health and wellness and in 2020 she won the AFMC-Gold Humanism Award. At the PRHC event, she shared valuable knowledge on preventing burnout.

Burnout is a growing concern in the healthcare sector affecting staff, including doctors, the ability of hospitals to recruit and retain healthcare providers, and ultimately, the quality of care.

Donor sponsorship of this event shows PRHC’s professional staff that we stand with them, that we understand the importance of their work – and our role in supporting it – now and for the future of healthcare in our region.

Thank you, donors!

For more info about your impact or to donate, please call 705-876-5000 or click here.

Donor-funded, cutting-edge MRIs are a leap forward for patient care at PRHC

Every year since her breast cancer diagnosis almost ten years ago, Amy Semple attends a mammogram and MRI appointment at PRHC to monitor her health. This past year, her check-up was different for one big reason: Amy underwent an MRI in one of PRHC’s two new, state-of-the-art MRI machines.

Before her appointment, Amy learned about the benefits of the advanced technology, which produces detailed images of organs and structures in the body. The new equipment takes higher resolution images, faster, in a more comfortable experience for patients like her – representing a giant leap forward in patient care at PRHC.

“I’ve always appreciated the level of care I’ve received at PRHC and the big scope of donor-funded equipment needed to support my and other patients’ survival,” said Amy. “But seeing firsthand the new technology at this year’s appointment really highlighted the impact that donors have made in my life over the last decade. Thank you!”

The more recent installation of the second MRI unit, funded by a $2 million legacy gift, has allowed the hospital to increase diagnostic imaging capacity, performing an additional 6,000 scans since the new machine became operational.

PRHC Physician Chief & Medical Director of Diagnostic Imaging, Dr. Rola Shaheen, elaborated, “It’s having a positive impact on regional wait times. It’s increasing our overall efficiency and empowering us to offer a level of care not previously possible, including MRI-guided breast biopsy procedures, and better, clearer neurological, prostate and cardiovascular imaging.”

“We’re able to produce much higher quality images in less time,” she added, “while providing a significantly improved patient experience. With the support of donors, we can deliver the full spectrum of service needed to diagnose and treat disease, close to home.”

The estate gift that made this possible was from Dr. Anne Keenleyside, a highly respected Trent University professor of bioarcheology who passed away in October 2022 after succumbing to cancer.

PRHC Foundation President & CEO, Lesley Heighway, said Anne was inspired to invest in equipment and technology that support cancer care innovation: “Anne wanted her gift to connect her passion for scientific innovation with her desire to help the patients who would come after her. We’re so grateful for her incredible generosity.”

For more information on legacy giving or to donate, please call 705-876-5000.