The fall equinox and the first day of autumn arrived on Saturday, September 23, 2023. For some reason, September signals a need for action, a fresh start, and new beginnings. This is opposite to what the environment around us is doing during this time of year. Days get shorter, plants go to bed, wildlife migrates south or prepares for winter, and farmers harvest their crops before the frost sets in.

We are all preparing for “what’s next”. Before jumping right in, this might be a good time to take a moment to breathe before we transition to this next season. As we take this precious moment, this is also an opportunity for reflection.

According to almanac.com, the equinox occurs at the same moment worldwide. When reading this, I felt a sense of unity and common ground with people I don’t even know who are living on the other side of our planet. I get a similar feeling when I think about our “Back the Build” campaign to raise funds to build a new hospital in our beloved County. Wanting and sometimes needing access to healthcare is one thing we all have in common.

We live in a busy, hurried world, always planning for what’s next. At the hospital foundation, I think this level of energy comes from the excitement and pride that has come from many accomplishments and the need to keep moving ahead. Even though our days are getting darker, the leaves on trees are becoming more vibrant in colour, almost suggesting that change, however uncomfortable, also brings a sense of hope.

The foundation is halfway through our fiscal year already! I thought to myself recently, where has the time gone and this is when I started to look back at all we, our community, our volunteers, and our staff, have accomplished over these past six months. Here is a small sample:

·        Appeared in the media 82 times!

·        Participated in 14 gift announcements resulting in funding for things like:

o  The X-ray machine

o  the echocardiogram machine

o  a ventilator

o  a vein finder for the Emergency Department

o  contributions toward a new mammography machine for the new hospital

o  helping to meet our new hospital fundraising goal

o  contributions toward a new CT scanner for the new hospital

·        Appeared in Radio ads over 700 times, thanks in part to our media partners Quinte Broadcasting (Mix 97), Starboard Communications (Cool 100), and 99.3 County FM

·        We welcomed a new Administrative Assistant to our team, which means we now have three full-time and one part-time staff positions on the foundation

·        Welcomed new board members (for a full list of our volunteer board, please visit pecmhf.ca)

·        Our website has been updated and refreshed

·        Board and Campaign Cabinet members personally called to thank 225 individual donors

·        We sent 1,868 pieces of mail, which included thank you letters, tax receipts, and stories about the impact donations have had on healthcare delivery in our County and the Quinte region

·        Participated on the Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee

·        Attended several third-party community fundraising events

·        AND, the list goes on!

Phew! What a busy six months, and the outcome is something for all of us to celebrate. We now work closely with 2,306 active donors, compared to 1,987 this time last year, processed 1,514 donations, and have raised $2,422,455!

Our work is far from finished, and as we all know, healthcare is expensive. Medical equipment is constantly in need of replacement, maintenance or an upgrade, and the new hospital needs to be built. Together, with your continued support and commitment to healthcare close to home, we will continue to be resilient and have the stamina to keep moving forward.

For information about our hospital or to donate, call 613-476-1008 ext. 4502 or visit our website at www.pecmhf.ca.