Community asked to invest in healthcare
As Collingwood General and Marine Hospital (CGMH) continues to plan for the construction of a new state-of- the-art $1- billion facility, partners are doing a final fundraising push, asking the community at large to contribute in any way they can.
The hospital and its charitable foundation has launched a campaign entitled Tomorrow is Built Today, “a momentous initiative to redefine healthcare in South Georgian Bay.”
The initiative includes the release of a five-year strategic plan and the CGMH Foundation’s $100-million fundraising campaign.
For more than a decade, the project has been advancing through an approval process and now has the green light to build on Poplar Sideroad. It is expected that the new hospital will break ground in 2028 and be open by 2033.
“We are so excited. We have been working on this for such a long time and to have the government recognize that this is a really important project for the people of South Georgian Bay, and that the people in the communities that we serve really deserve this,” said Collingwood General and Marine Hospital Foundation president and CEO Jory Pritchard-Kerr. “They deserve to have healthcare in a building that’s built for the ever expanding population that we serve, so it’s really exciting and the response from the community so far has been really exciting, too.”
The new facility will be four times bigger with private patient rooms, 16 in-patient rehabilitation beds, satellite chemotherapy for ongoing treatment in partnership with RVH, expanded facilities for education programs, and an emergency department triple the sizeof the current one. Officials are also seeking ministry approval for in-patient mental health beds.
Pritchard-Kerr spoke to the benefits of being able to access healthcare close to home.
“When you are in your own community in South Georgian Bay, you can have your support network around you,” said Pritchard-Kerr, adding that as it stands people need to travel elsewhere for rehab, which can be difficult for seniors. “Being here and being in your own community and having those supports around you really helps in your recovery.”
The provincial government funds up to 90 per cent of hospital construction costs. The remaining 10 per cent, along with 100 per cent of medical equipment and furnishings, must be funded locally. More than $65 million has already been pledged, mostly by municipalities and large donors. The campaign aims to raise the remaining funds from the community – residents and visitors alike – who will benefit from a modern, state-of-the-art hospital, purpose-built for South Georgian Bay’s growing needs.
A campaign cabinet and its volunteers have been working together for the past few years to secure funds. Co-chair Tony Arrell said its important for people to buy in.
“It’s good to have everybody feel they are a part of it,” he said. “It makes everybody feel they have a stake in the thing.”
Arrell, who is not new to healthcare fundraising, having led successful campaigns at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, said, “Everybody has, or should have, an interest in having good health care. The province shoulders the big load but the public has to help, too.”
He said in terms of need, there is no doubt that the hospital on Hume Street in Collingwood is aging and much too small.
He said there have been a lot of changes in healthcare, namely advancements in technology, since much of the facility was built in the 1950s. The hospital has outgrown the current building with its cracked walls, sinking floors, low ceilings, lack of storage and inadequate office space.
Arrell said population growth and tourism puts additional pressure on the hospital. Emergency visits to CGMH average more than 34,500 annually.
“That’s unbelievable for a regional hospital of that size compared to other hospitals,” said Arrell. “We are lucky that Collingwood has 24/7 emergency care. Lots of places don’t have that.”
Collingwood has no problem attracting healthcare professionals who want to live in a beautiful area, said Arrell, but there is a need to modernize the emergency department and add essential care options including rehabilitation and psychiatric care.
“It will be the most important thing built in Collingwood in many, many years,” said Arrell.
He acknowledges there is some politicking involved, noting that there are 140 hospitals in the province and a lot of them need work, but CGMH was able to make a strong case and benefitted from a donation of property.
He said because government funding falls short of buying medical equipment and furnishings, there is a key role for the community to play.
“This is our only focus now,” said Pritchard-Kerr, adding that all donations that come from the public will be directed to the new build while ongoing needs at the existing facility will be covered by the endowment fund. “This is the most important project that’s come along in South Georgian Bay in at least a generation, if not more, and it’s really incumbent uponallofustofindawaytohelpinwhatever way we can to make sure that we all have a state-of-the-art facility to receive healthcare in.”
She said people are encouraged to participate in any way they can, according to their level of ability. Anything from modest monthly donations and small community fundraising events to large donations and big events are most welcome.
“Every single gift, no matter its size, is really important,” said Pritchard- Kerr, who is retiring after 37 years with the Foundation but has said she will be staying on part-time as the campaign continues.
Donate at cgmhf.com.
