Ameliasburgh, June 28, 2023 – The Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation (PECMHF) celebrated a successful year of fundraising at its annual general meeting (AGM) on June 28. PECMHF reported that the community stepped forward to help raise over $3.27 million in the 2022/23 fiscal year ending on March 31.

The in-person AGM held at the Ameliasburgh Town Hall highlighted PECMHF’s achievements, particularly its two priority missions of fundraising work to provide leading edge priority medical equipment at Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital (PECMH) and support of the community’s share of building the new hospital in The County.

Barbara McConnell, PECMHF chairperson thanked the community for their generous support again this year.

“Year in and year out, we raise money to purchase medical equipment for our County hospital and to support regional healthcare, and that is vitally important work. It ensures our hospital medical and technical staff continue to have the equipment they need to treat us, their patients, with the excellent care we appreciate so much. As we know, the foundation is raising money for our new hospital. That’s an even bigger job with a new target of $27 million. Just over $20 million has been raised in cash and pledges with $7 million left to raise. That is a great achievement, one that this entire community can be proud of. Now that we are in the qualifying contractors’ stage of the process, the expectation is that we will open the doors of our new hospital late in 2027,” she said.

The Board Treasurer, David Griffith, reinforced the significant role PECMHF plays in raising money each year for medical equipment for our County Hospital and the greater Quinte region.

“In the last fiscal year, PECMHF transferred more than $1,090,240 to Quinte Health to fulfill our responsibility to raise funds to pay for medical equipment,” he reported. These donations equipped PECMH’s Reprocessing Department with new sterilization equipment. An electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood analyzer were purchased for the Emergency Department. The x-ray machine, which benefits almost 8,000 patients annually was purchased along with a borescope which cleans and disinfects gastroscopes and colonoscopes. New bariatric stretchers and smart beds were added to the fleet and the foundation contributed instalments towards both the Intensive Care Unit located at Belleville General Hospital and the Regional Health Information System (RHIS) project, which will increase efficiency in making medical records more accessible to health care professionals serving patients.

Griffith said that in addition, the Back the Build campaign received $2.5 million in donations.

“The donations to our medical equipment fund and our Back the Build fund put us firmly on our path to raising the money we need to support our two important missions,” Griffith said. “We are very grateful for our donor support.”

In her presentation at the AGM, McConnell said her participation on the volunteer board first as a director, and now embarking on her fifth term as chairperson, has been deeply rewarding.

“I see the foundation’s mission to raise money to support quality healthcare for everyone in The County as one of the most critical services available in this community. I am very proud of the foundation board of directors, the campaign cabinet and the staff for their commitment to advancing our efforts and reaching our goals. This volunteer board and our capable staff are deserving of our gratitude and appreciation for all they do to help make sure our health care team is supported and has the equipment and facilities needed to do their job well. Their dedication to keeping our County hospital strong is unsurpassed,” McConnell said.

The PECMHF board currently consists of 17 directors. The directors are: Barbara McConnell and Monica Alyea of Milford; Mohamed Khimji of Ameliasburgh; David Griffith of Lake on the Mountain; Dennis Darby of Cressy; Ken Menlove of South Bay; Doug Taylor of Wellington; Wendy Reid of Waupoos; and Leo Finnegan, Sherry Tait, Sandra Foreman, Steve Geist, Ann Galvin, Andy Janikowski, and Cliff Rice, all of Picton. 

The foundation bid farewell to retiring director Pat Evans of Picton. In turn, the organization welcomed two new members: Peggy Payne and Susan Quaiff of Picton. Payne, who recently completed her term with the Quinte Health Board of Directors is stepping into the role of PECMHF’s vice chairperson and Quaiff is joining as the PECMH Auxiliary (PECMHA) representative as part of her role as President of that organization.

“I'm very proud to be part of the philanthropic community that supports our County Hospital so enthusiastically. I've witnessed our hospital provide outstanding care to so many in our community. When illness strikes, we want to ensure our health care system has the latest technical and diagnostic services available right here in Prince Edward County, now and for years to come. It's comforting to know that a great hospital with fine facilities is nearby, staffed and equipped to make a difference,” she said.

McConnell emphasized the future success of the foundation’s work will result from continued collaboration with community partners, in addition to support from donors across the region and beyond. She expressed gratitude to the PECMHF staff, Shannon Coull, Briar Boyce, Sue Vincent, and Abi Sampson for their dedication and hard work.

PECMHF’s audited financial statements are available online at https://www.pecmhf.ca/our-accountability.

To make a donation or for more information, please contact the foundation at 613-476-1008 ext. 4507, or visit our website at www.pecmhf.ca.

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

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