We Win Top Awards Because We Make Your Dollars Work!

As a not-for-profit organization, the West Parry Sound Health Centre Foundation (WPSHCF) ensures  every dollar we raise is used efficiently so that we can achieve our vision: To provide extraordinary health care in cottage country. We are so terrific at making your dollar count, that we win awards!  The Foundation is proud to be the recipient of the 2011 Small Organization Excellence in Fundraising Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.   

In winning the award we were judged on:  our fundraising infrastructure, our streamlined administrative structure, our effective use of fundraising resources both technical and human capital, our creativity and the impact our campaigns have on the community.   

At the West Parry Sound Health Centre Foundation all designated dollars go to health programs or equipment purchases.  All undesignated dollars go to the current health centre priority.  We have $1.9 million in Top and Medium Priority needs as identified by our medical staff.  Our key remaining campaigns in 2011/2012 are raising funds for a  $200,000 Unit Dose Machine for the Pharmacy, $150,00 to replace the C-Arm for Surgery (our machine is broken, we are using a borrowed one from Huntsville – the C-Arm provides images of highest precision directly in OR), $316,694 to replace 3 anesthetic machines in Surgery, 2 new $13,325 Anatomical Pathology Verification Systems (they reduce sample misidentification in the Lab) and continuing to support the local installation of Electronic Health Records (EHR).

The Foundation is keenly aware that two of the three Anesthetic Machines are fast approaching the end of their life span.  Our Operating Room performs between 3 and 4,000 surgeries annually and 2 machines are 12 years old.  Worse, critical components on these machines are no longer serviceable.  The third machine is 6 years old - 10 to 15 years is a normal lifespan.  Patient Safety procedures stipulates similar platforms are required.

As of mid-October 2011 donors have provided the funds needed in 2011 to buy the emergency purchase of a new $40,000 Tissue Processor, $650,000 for a Digital Mammography Unit, a new Opti-Vue for Opthalmology ($85,000) and an added emergency purchase of software and hardware ($60,000) to ensure 24 hour / 7 day a week access to our radiologist.  The new Mammography Unit is expected to be fully operational by early in 2012.

The Health Centre is responsible for readying itself locally to connect to the central EHR program.  The provincial completion date is 2015.  While much progress has been made, work remains to be done to ensure we are ready to connect.  In 2011, seasonal husband and wife team Jim Meekison and Carolyn Keystone donated $100,000 to the further development of EHR.  (This in addition to completing the $57,000 purchase of new monitor defibrillators in all remaining areas of need in the Health Centre – for the story see the section Lives That Have Touched Us.)

Our geographic isolation demands we keep all equipment technologically current should any of our families or any one of us be stuck by an emergency.  Distances to major centres can be medically critical: Sudbury is 165 km North; Barrie is 135 km South; and Toronto is 225 km South.