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.

Continue reading

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!

Continue reading

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.

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!

Chemung Lake District Lions Club makes transformational gift in support of the Cardiac Cath Lab

Lions Club member presents a large cheque

Our deepest thanks to the Chemung Lake District Lions Club who have made a transformational gift of $250,000 in support of reinvestment in Peterborough Regional Health Centre’s Cardiac Cath Lab!

This very generous donation will help fund the advanced equipment cardiac patients from around our region depend on for minimally invasive, lifesaving care closer to home. Without it, thousands of patients from central eastern Ontario might have to travel as far away as Kingston or Toronto at a time when every second counts. The Lions’ donation will go a long way toward keeping this level of care at PRHC.

Thank you, Chemung Lake District Lions! We’re so grateful for your visionary commitment to regional cardiac care.