PICTON, March 13, 2024 – The Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation (PECMHF), in partnership with the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Auxiliary (PECMHA), is pleased to announce that $317,000 has been raised through a matching gift incentive to Back the Build for Prince Edward County’s new hospital.

This past November, the hospital auxiliary committed to making a 1:1 match for all new donations to PECMHF’s Back the Build campaign up to $100,000. Every gift made between October 23, 2023, and January 31, 2024, was matched dollar for dollar by the PECMHA.

“We are incredibly thankful to our donors for their enthusiastic response to supporting this matching gift initiative,” said Shannon Coull, executive director of the PECMH Foundation. “We are deeply committed to building a new, leading-edge facility for our community, and the donations given over the holiday season had twice the impact, thanks to the auxiliary and our generous community of donors.”

This fundraising initiative set out to inspire community giving. Over 230 individual gifts received the 1:1 match. Before the end of 2023, Ryan and Allyson Williams of Williams Hotels stepped forward to top up the Auxiliary’s pledge by contributing an additional $15,000 to be matched.

“Every amount donated, big or small, helped us reach this incredible achievement,” said Susan Quaiff, president of the PECMH Auxiliary. “It’s been clear from the start that this community supports building our new hospital. The donors who were inspired to give through the match have demonstrated how much having a hospital close to home in Prince Edward County means to them.”

The foundation is thankful to the Auxiliary for helping to boost the campaign.

“We are so grateful for the auxiliary’s generous commitment to a 1:1 matching donation. This gift reminds us how community-minded we are in Prince Edward County, working together to guarantee that healthcare services are available to those who need them for many years,” said Nancy Parks, Back the Build campaign chairperson. “The generosity shown by the hospital auxiliary and the community members who contributed to the match has been extraordinary.”

PECMHF is raising $27M to help build a new hospital in Prince Edward County (PEC). The new 96k square foot hospital is scheduled to open in 2027, with shovels anticipated to go into the ground in the fall of 2024. The $27M will cover 10 percent of the bricks and mortar component of the hospital build and 100 percent of the medical equipment. The other 90 percent of the hard construction costs will be covered by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC). PECMHF has raised $21M in pledges and cash towards this goal, leaving approximately $6M to raise.

“It is amazing what can be accomplished when we work together,” said Coull. “Donors should never underestimate the impact they have. Every gift, regardless of size, gets us closer to our goal of having a new hospital in Prince Edward County equipped with the latest and greatest technology. Every donor brings our community closer together.”

The new hospital will be designed to meet the local community's current and future capacity needs. The project includes the construction of a new hospital with improved equipment and facilities, including a 24/7 emergency department, diagnostic imaging, inpatient beds, and dialysis services. Our new hospital will incorporate patient-centred design and technology, state-of-the-art infection control and ventilation, wider halls for modern medical equipment and larger, more flexible rooms. 

The Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to raising funds to advance health care for the people of Prince Edward County and patients of the hospital. 

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Photo: Pictured on the future site of the new hospital are members of the PECMH Auxiliary with PECMH Foundation representatives. Holding the thank you sign on the left is Lina Rinaldi, Quinte Health’s vice president and chief nursing executive, holding the cheque are Peggy Payne, vice chairperson of the foundation; Cathy Starkey, past president of the Auxiliary and Barbara McConnell, chairperson of the foundation; Shannon Coull, executive director (holding the thank you sign) and Briar Boyce, senior development officer are pictured to the far right.

Photo credit: Sue Vincent