PEMBROKE – The Pembroke Regional Hospital Auxiliary is excited to share that its members are making a $500,000 commitment to the hospital in support of the equipment costs for the new Orthopaedics program and for planned upgrades that are about to be made to the in-patient Surgical floor.
Announced at the Auxiliary’s Spring Fashion Show held last week at Our Lady of Lourdes Church Hall, Auxiliary President Diana Gagne said that while the commitment is being made in the form of a pledge to be fulfilled over a five-year period, she’s hopeful they may be able to complete the pledge sooner.
“Given the success of our many ongoing fundraising initiatives for the hospital, and the fact that we typically make annual gifts to the hospital of over $100,000, we would love to be able to pay off this pledge sooner than later,” Mrs. Gagne said, adding that this announcement comes soon after the Auxiliary completed a $1-million pledge in support of the hospital’s MRI.
“Our volunteers see the great value in this project which not only involves the launch of an important new surgical service for our community but will also see the modernization of the surgical floor,” Mrs. Gagne said, adding, “We are very happy to be part of the fundraising efforts to achieve all of this.”
Heather Ball, Vice-Chair of the PRH Board of Directors, was in attendance to thank the Auxiliary for its generous commitment and to provide a brief overview of the hospital’s capital project.
In total, she said, the project is valued at approximately $10 million, with 90 percent of approved construction costs paid for by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the remaining $1-million in construction costs needing to be covered by the hospital through fundraising efforts. In addition to this, new furnishings and equipment, for which there is no provincial funding, must also be covered by the hospital in the amount of $1.5 million. To achieve this, the community will be asked to assist with fundraising and the PRH Auxiliary’s pledge represents a solid start to this effort.
“Fifty years after its construction, our surgical floor now lacks the space and privacy our patients expect and deserve,” Mrs. Ball said.
Through the planned upgrades, the community’s hospital will have a new Surgical Day Care area with 12 recovery stations, four new private inpatient suites along with upgrades to existing rooms and a new family lounge, as well as other space improvements, she said.
“And through generous gifts from community-minded individuals and groups like the PRH Auxiliary, this important area within the hospital will be brought up to modern standards and provide a more comfortable environment for the thousands of surgical patients we care for each year,” Mrs. Ball said.
The PRH Auxiliary is a volunteer-based organization that raises funds for the Pembroke Regional Hospital through a variety of endeavours while also providing a number of amenities for the hospital’s patients, visitors and staff.
Their initiatives and fundraisers include operation of The Sunshine Gift Shop, The Mural Café, the hospital’s ATM machine and TV rental program. They also sell HELPP Lottery Tickets, raise funds through BINGO, and host bi-annual fashion shows.
