2021 Donor Impact Report
Small HospitalBig Future
Introduction
2021 A year in waiting.
At times, 2021 felt like an eternity. It was a year of waiting. Waiting for the pandemic to end, waiting for equipment to come in, and waiting for a plan for a new hospital. If anyone understands the frustration of waiting, it is the Collingwood General & Marine Hospital (CGMH) and its Foundation. And while there are plenty of things to wait for, we have pushed forward in the best way we know how…..fulfilling as many medical needs as possible. We have steered a course of optimism, hope, and belief that we can provide the communities of South Georgian Bay with outstanding care for life.
In 2021 we watched as our communities continued to come together, united in generosity and ignited in passion; investing in the future of healthcare. We have reflected on how far community has brought us and more importantly, how far it will take us. Together, we are a community that believes in and invests in our hospital.
We have been working to purchase critical equipment.2021 has been a year of impact as equipment and technology have been improving various departments in the hospital including the Emergency Department, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and more. Your support has allowed us to invest in life-saving equipment, tools, and technology, along with purchases that are impacting patient safety, experience, and comfort. The bottom line? Your support is making a difference in the lives of those here in South Georgian Bay.
While still faced with lockdown restrictions, our community has found new and safe ways to host fundraisers to help bring additional funds to the Foundation. From hiking and biking to cookies and real estate, you have truly shown us how to put the FUN into fundraising.
While we prepare for the historic fundraising campaign that will be required to support the Hospital Development project, we are supporting the needs of our current hospital. We have witnessed the replacement of aging medical equipment, the purchase of innovative medical technology, the education of our CGMH care teams and necessary facility repairs and upgrades.
Together, we will not wait. We are preparing for the future of healthcare at CGMH and glad to have you by our side. Together, we will fund vital equipment and provide outstanding care for life. Thank you for all of your support in 2021.- Jory Pritchard-Kerr, President & CEO
Jack Marley, Chair of the Board of Directors
FOUNDATION GIVING STATS
$7.5 Million generated for equipment and technology
Thank you to the 3,702 donors who made 6,677 donations in 2021. Individuals, families, foundations, municipalities, and businesses all came together last year to raise almost $4.5 million for equipment and technology for CGMH. As well, over $3 million was generated from investment income resulting in a combined total of $7.5 million for CGMH equipment and technology.
The Foundation’s endowment fund also achieved an impressive 13% rate of return and grew to an all-time high of almost $26.5 million. This fund has seen incredible growth over the past several years. All estate gifts and insurance policies are directed to the endowment fund (unless otherwise indicated by the donor) and the pay-out of the fund is limited to 50% of annual income. The rest of the income is reinvested back into the endowment fund.
For the complete audited financial statements, please visit CollingwoodHospital.com
or contact the Foundation Office at (705) 444-8645.
2021 Impact
2021 was a year of challenges for equipment purchasing. Although the global pandemic has led to supply chain issues and shortages, our Procurement team has worked relentlessly and tirelessly to bring in new equipment and technology. Here are a few stories of how this equipment is helping to save lives, improve the patient experience, and advance both efficiency and safety.
Obstetrics
It’s the little things…funding a new birthing bed for Obstetrics.
When asked about the shiny new features of the recently purchased birthing bed, Dr Yeates’ answer was simple “It works.” A small statement that speaks volumes to the necessity of this new bed, part of a 5-year program to replace all birthing beds.
Core functions like moving a patient up or down were missing with the old birthing beds. Now, doctors, nurses, and midwives can use the bed with ease and accommodate the movements of labour in real-time. “When I’m using the forceps, I have to adjust the height of the bed as we go because my arms move and the baby moves”.
The obstetrics team is grateful for the funding of this bed that will provide a more comfortable experience for both patient and healthcare professional.
Emergency Department
Based on his experience in a larger teaching centre during his residency, Dr. Kuuskne suggested the purchase of the LUCAS 3 Chest Compression System to improve the process and outcomes of patient resuscitations in the Emergency Department (ED).
“The LUCAS 3 device will modernize the way we care for our most critically ill patients: those in cardiac arrest. Automation will not only provide consistent and effective chest compressions, it will also free-up a provider to focus on other lifesaving tasks.”
Dr. Gregg Bolton
The LUCAS 3 delivers high-quality, mechanical chest compressions during the resuscitation due to cardiac arrest, taking the place of an individual caregiver administering physical compressions.
Dr. Gregg Bolton, one of CGMH’s lead ED physicians, took the request to the Giving Circle membership and was granted the $16,000 required to purchase this impressive piece of technology. The LUCAS 3 arrived at CGMH in late 2021 and according to Dr. Bolton, has already played a significant role in saving patients.
Intensive Care Unit
Despite the Hospital’s ongoing battle with COVID-19, Chief of Internal Medicine, Dr. Mark Bonta and his team have been diligently building the Department by recruiting additional Internal Medicine and Critical Care Specialists, standardizing processes to ensure high quality care, and implementing evidence-based approaches to the care of the critically ill.
“Donors have played a key role in helping to grow and improve Internal Medicine Services. We asked for support to fund important diagnostic and treatment equipment and our generous donors responded instantly.”
Dr. Mark Bonta, Chief of Internal Medicine
The first item funded was a Portable Ultrasound Unit for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The unit can be used to enhance diagnostic certainty, closely monitor their response to treatments and to enhance the safety of our procedures done at the bedside in the ICU. This tool assists in medical-decision-making by the doctors, nurses and Respiratory Therapists collaborating in the care of our ICU patients.
Generous donors have funded the purchase of additional equipment including three new ECG (electrocardiogram) machines. ECG is a simple test that can be used to check the heart’s rhythm and electrical activity. ECG is a vital tool in diagnosing patients in cardiac arrest. Read more about the impact of these funds here.
Pharmacy
Tree of Life Campaign
Tree of Life campaign raised $1MM to expand access to Automated Dispensing Units (ADU) across the hospital.
Every day, hundreds of patients receive care at CGMH. The vast majority of them are given medications during their stay, and each of these medications are vitally important.
Ten years ago, CGMH began the journey to ensure safer, more efficient medication dispensing and began purchasing ADU systems. ADU technology supports secure medication management including inventory control and replaces the individual medication containers outside patient rooms and can only be opened electronically by medical staff fingerprints.
Previous to the ADU systems, a doctor would see a patient, write a prescription and submit it to the pharmacy. The pharmacist would fill the medication and send it back to the floor; a process that was inefficient and left room for medication errors.
After a decade of working with this technology, and with the funds made available through support from the Tree of Life campaign, CGMH can now ensure that every department has access to new ADUs with the latest features and software.
“The ADU systems make the whole process more seamless, helping to deliver the right medication, to the right patient, at the right time. It improves quality of care and safety for our patients.”
Manish Patel, CGMH Pharmacy Manager
In This Together Young Professionals fund Virtual Paediatric Critical Care Consult Program
The CGMH Foundation Young Professionals Committee hosted their inaugural event, ‘In This Together’, a culinary experience in partnership with three South Georgian Bay restaurants. The event raised close to $40,000 and over 500 people enjoyed an in-home, three-course dining experience. The funds raised from this event helped bring equipment for the Emergency & Obstetrics Departments and an innovative Virtual Paediatric Critical Care Consult Program to CGMH.
In collaboration with SickKids Hospital, CGMH is one of eight community hospitals in Ontario chosen to participate. The project is enhancing paediatric patient stabilizations, transfers and care while improving overall experience and offering financial savings to the health care system.
With this program, CGMH now has 24/7 access to SickKids critical care consultants via secure videoconferencing, whereas only telephone consultations were available in the past. This real-time, visual consultation allows for more detailed advice and knowledge sharing on treatment plans. It can accommodate COVID-19 protocols while still giving access to increased services all while potentially avoiding unnecessary patient transfers.
Over the last 21 years, I have seen firsthand the amazing impact that community support has on our ability to care for our patients. Because of this donation, we have been able to fund the entire Virtual Paediatric Critical Care Consult program for the Emergency Department. This program has brought the SickKids Critical Care team right into the CGMH Emergency Department through high fidelity video technology which will help provide the best possible care to our youngest patients.
Dr Gillian Yeates, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Events
Small towns, Big hearts
Hosting an event in 2021 came with its own set of challenges with restrictions, lockdowns, and safety concerns. However, it didn’t stop our local communities from finding safe and effective ways to raise funds for CGMH from sports, celebrations, yard sales, local business events, bucket list challenges, and more. Bringing in a total of $145,744 from third-party hosted events, here are a few highlights.
Realtors for CGMH.
The Greg Syrota Real Estate Team wants to ensure that his clients have access to state-of-the-art health care. The team set a goal to support the Collingwood Hospital Foundation by making a donation in honour of their clients for each home sale. With every sale, a portion of their commission goes to support essential pieces of equipment including the purchase of new patient beds. Greg and his team have set a new goal to get to $25,000 and we wish them all the best in their fundraising efforts.
The Faris Team recently entered the Collingwood market. They are also committed to giving back to their communities and presented the Foundation with a gift of $5,500 during their grand opening celebration. This gift will directly support the purchase of patient beds that will have upgraded comfort features for patients as well as safety features to help reduce risk of injury for our care team.
The Smile Cookie Campaign.
Each year, Tim Horton franchisees choose a charity to support during the Smile Cookie Campaign and we were honoured and grateful to the Trude/Collie family for choosing the Foundation as one of their 2021 charities. The Trude/Collie Family-owners of the Collingwood and Wasaga Beach locations- raised $19,367, exceeding their goal and enabling them to fund the purchase of a new birthing bed for CGMH.
Fundraising on the green.
Presented by RBC’s Paul Champman and featuring Canadian golf trailblazer Sandra Post, this is a unique event that provided an opportunity for women to celebrate personal wellness, have fun and meet other women interested in health, exercise, fresh air and the environment, while also helping to raise funds for CGMH. Proceeds go to the Collingwood Hospital Foundation with a focus on women’s health and wellness innovation.
A new centrifuge machine will be purchased for the CGMH Laboratory thanks to a generous gift of $55,000 from the Georgian Bay Club Foundation. Collingwood Hospital’s incredibly busy lab uses the centrifuges non-stop and since they perform greater than 1.6 million tests per year, it’s a vital piece of equipment for the lab.
Fundraising in motion.
The 2nd Annual Collingwood Grand Gravel event took place on Sunday, Sept 12th. Not only did they accomplish their goal to ride over 200km, but they were also able to raise over $8,000 for the Collingwood Hospital Foundation which helped fund new patient beds. Together with donations from the 2020 ride, the group has now raised over $10,700 for the Foundation.
Dressed as superheroes, the Alpine Heroes Hike, Ride & Ski-a-thon, was a huge success. Raising $16,661 for Diagnostic Imaging equipment at the Collingwood Hospital, these donations ensure the medical staff have state-of-the-art equipment required to care for patients in our community.
Donor Stories
Caring, courage, and kindness: A story of love and legacy.
Mike and Pat Henning leave behind a story of generosity, strength, and love. Always thinking of others, the Hennings went out of their way to help those in need. Married for 60 years, The Hennings were known for their unwavering bond, their lasting friendships, and their commitment to health and wellness. From small gestures like dropping off cookies to friends in need, to chauffeuring friends to medical appointments, to a dedicated time of helping a close friend walk again, the Hennings took kindness and generosity to a whole new level.
Their strength was tested through the tragedies of losing their sons who both died in hospital at such young ages. Following the passing of their sons, the Hennings shifted from vacationing in Collingwood to full-time residents and spent 25 years here. They believed that the Town of Collingwood was in need of a newer hospital facility and that the community would be very much involved in the fundraising of the money.
Always supporters of the hospital, Pat and Mike were very involved in fundraising including playing in many of the fundraising golf tournaments. Mike spent many hours over the last years of his life on dialysis at the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital and often praised the staff and the care they provided.
Pat & Mike Henning spent their lifetimes giving back and took one step further by leaving a gift to CGMH in their will to ensure future generations could enjoy better healthcare. We are incredibly grateful to the Hennings and are completely inspired by their generosity and dedication to those they loved.
If you or a loved one are considering a legacy gift to CGMH, please reach out to us. First, so we can thank you, and second, so we can know and plan for your gift and ensure your wishes for how it will benefit CGMH are carried out.
Growth in Endowment
Legacy gifts and generated income.
Legacy gifts made to the CGMH Foundation are endowed, meaning the gift is invested in perpetuity and only the income from the gift is spent. The endowment fund plays a critical role in providing funding for ongoing equipment and facility maintenance for CGMH.
The Dr. A.R. Stephen Capital Fund has seen incredible growth over the past several years by directing all estate gifts and insurance policies to the endowment fund (unless otherwise directed by the donor) and limiting the pay-out of the fund to 50% of annual income, while reinvesting the rest of the income back into the endowment fund. In 2021, the endowment funds achieved an impressive 13 per cent rate of return and grew to an all-time high of almost $26.5 million.
Currently, an average of $1 million is made available annually for specific projects and items that are difficult to fundraise for like elevator repairs, boilers and software upgrades. While they are not exciting projects for individual donors to give to, they absolutely need to be funded in order to ensure the excellent patient care can be delivered in this old and undersized facility.
We are grateful to the donors whose estate plans have made this pool of funding available and to those donors who have invested outright gifts into the Dr. A.R. Stephen Capital Fund. These generous gifts are ensuring that CGMH will always be well-equipped to meet the needs of its patients.
monthly giving club
Strength in Numbers
Monthly Giving Provides Steady, ongoing funds.
Our Monthly Giving Club is a growing group of compassionate individuals who are providing steady, ongoing funds to the Collingwood G&M Hospital. Together, this community helps equip the hospital with the best tools to diagnose and treat patients. These monthly gifts allow us to plan and allocate resources where they are needed the most while also allowing our donors to choose the level of support that works for them. In 2021, 118 donors raised $79,474 providing monthly donations ranging from $8 to $100+. Our goal is to continue building momentum with this group and to increase awareness around the benefits of providing consistent and reliable funding.
ReDevelopment & Future Planning
Unleash the Potential.
We are a community that both believes in and invests in our hospital. That’s why it’s so important to understand what the capacity of our building is right now, and the possibilities posed by a new hospital facility, designed and built for the 21st century. We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to drastically impact the delivery of healthcare in South Georgian Bay.
CGMH is not your average rural hospital. We have built a culture of innovation that is being noticed on the provincial and national level. If this is what we can do in an old, undersized facility, imagine what will be possible in a new hospital. Our physicians and staff refuse to let an aging, cramped building limit their imagination and innovative natures. They are continually experimenting with new quality improvement initiatives, state-of-the-art infection control technology and improved “customer service” to ensure we provide the very best healthcare, but we can’t carry on like this forever. Our commitment is to continue to innovate and stretch the boundaries of the possible.
Get ready to unleash the potential of our amazing physicians and staff as we continue planning for a state of the art hospital for South Georgian Bay.
SMALL HOSPITAL.
BIG FUTURE.