Groves Hospital Foundation has successfully completed its $2.6-million (cash and pledges) “CT Plus – Imaging For Our Future” campaign.
“When we started the campaign for this project we knew that it would have a positive impact on the community,” said Jackie Ranahan, chair of the foundation’s board of directors.
“We are thrilled at just how large that impact has become and it is all thanks to the generosity of our community donors.”
The CT campaign was launched with a gift from Dr. Rick and Heather Gergovich. The husband and wife duo, who work at Groves, then made over 30 presentations to various groups in the community explaining why Groves needed a CT scanner. They joined a team of volunteers chaired by Ted Ecclestone.
Then, the Groves Hospital Volunteer Association stepped up. As the lead donor, that group pledged $500,000 to the campaign and the CT suite was named in its honour.
“The CT at our hospital is one of the most advanced in the province,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Jerome Quenneville.
“The new equipment allows our physicians to quickly diagnose and treat medical conditions. Since the doors opened more than 5,800 patients have been served by the CT scanner at our hospital.”
The foundation offered its thanks to every person, family, business, group and organization that supported the project.
Groves Hospital Foundation is dedicated to raising and stewarding funds for the advancement of health care at Groves Memorial Community Hospital.
Sherri Sutherland, Executive Director of the Groves Hospital Foundation, said in an interview the CT scanner campaign was meant to be three years long and it is actually finishing a little early.
When asked how long it will take to have the provincial government finally give approval to the proposed new hospital, Sutherland said the foundation does not become involved in “bricks and mortar.”
However, she added the foundation’s mandate is to provide new equipment for the hospital, and, “Everything we buy is portable.”
Hospital officials ensured when they installed the CT scanner that it can be easily moved to a new location, and Sutherland added that will be the case for all new equipment coming to the current hospital. It will be easily moved to its new home, set for Aboyne, once that hospital is built.
The foundation’s mandate is to ensure the technology is available to keep the hospital on the leading edge; as well as ongoing medical education for health care professionals and for specific projects and programs.
