Our hearts are on the line – let’s bring new cardiac services to PRHC

“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.

Get ready to ride: Join the Hunter Fondo in support of lifesaving care at two hospitals

The Peterborough Cycling Club presents the 3rd Annual Hunter Fondo, Saturday, September 14th, in memory of cycling enthusiast John Hunter. 

This year’s ride will feature a choose your own adventure poker ride. Sign up for the:

  • 30k Trail Heaven
  • 50k Pastry Ride
  • 75k Frappe le Rue 
  • 125k It’s Going to be an Easy Ride

Whichever ride you pick, all cyclists will start at 100 Acre Brewery. On your way, grab a coffee and pastry at local favourite Pastry Peddler, and visit Sprinkle n’ Things before heading home to enjoy a meal prepared by Ashburnham Ale House at 100 Acre Brewery.

Proceeds will be split between the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation and Campbellford Memorial Hospital Foundation. At PRHC, funds raised will support the advancement of world-class cardiac care in our region. Visit the PCC website for more information or to register.

Cardiac Electrophysiology Lab

The time has come to reinvest in PRHC’s Cardiac Centre for Excellence, unlocking new opportunities and ensuring the people, infrastructure,
systems and programs are in place to empower world-class cardiac care across the spectrum. With the first phase of this reinvestment complete – the renovation and upgrading of PRHC’s two Cardiac Cath Lab suites – PRHC is focused on the introduction of a new service to the region: electrophysiology.

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Cardiac Centre at PRHC named in recognition of $5 million donation made by James “Jim” Neill in 2021

On March 30, 2023 the Cardiac Centre at Peterborough Regional Health Centre was dedicated to philanthropist James “Jim” Neill, who donated $5 million in support of cardiac care at PRHC in 2021. Neill and his family and friends joined representatives from PRHC and the PRHC Foundation at the Health Centre on Thursday for the dedication event, which included the unveiling of new named signage in his honour on the exterior north-east corner of the hospital, recognizing the James B. Neill Cardiac Centre.

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New $3.55 million donor-funded Cardiac Cath Lab is keeping all our hearts here

Dr. Warren Ball, PRHC Interventional Cardiologist and Head of Division, Cardiology

We’re very happy to share that PRHC’s Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory reinvestment is now complete!

The two existing Cath Lab suites have been entirely renovated and upgraded, and began functioning at full capacity this fall. In the first month that both suites were operational, there were 324 Cath Lab visits, including 279 angiograms and 117 cardiac stenting procedures – some actually performed while a heart attack was taking place!

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Dr. Andrew Kelly joins the Cardiac Cath Lab team

Dr. Andrew Kelly, PRHC Interventional Cardiologist

PRHC was pleased to welcome Dr. Andrew Kelly earlier this summer. An interventional cardiologist, Dr. Kelly joins Dr. Warren Ball, Dr. Phong Nguyen-Ho and Dr. Katy Shufelt as the newest physician on the Cardiac Cath Lab team.

Dr. Kelly completed his medical degree at Ross University and went on to do residency training at the University of Connecticut for Internal Medicine and McMaster University for Cardiology, followed by a Fellowship in Interventional Cardiology at McMaster University.

Donor investment in new state-of-the-art Cath Lab facilities was critical to PRHC’s ability to bring Dr. Kelly to our hospital and reflects the growth of this vital regional service. Thank you!

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.

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.

Lions Club of Peterborough donates in support of world-class care!

Lions Club of Peterborough makes a donation

Thank you, Lions Club of Peterborough, for supporting world-class care at your regional hospital! This wonderful donation of $1,600 from the Lions will help fund the equipment and technology that support the Cardiac Cath Lab and Paediatric Oncology at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

Thanks to donors like the Lions, we can help ensure our families, friends, and neighbours can continue to get world-class cardiac care, right here in our community, when every second counts.

And it’s with the support from donors, that PRHC is home to a Paediatric Oncology Satellite Clinic in partnership with the Paediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO) and SickKids Hospital. As a result, fewer children have to travel for lifesaving cancer treatment, helping ease the burden for patients and families.