Bathurst, May 17, 2016 – The Chaleur Regional Hospital Foundation Major Fundraising Campaign was launched this morning under the theme Excellence, a healthy investment. The objective of the campaign is to raise $5 million within the next 5 years. With major campaign players present, namely René Legacy (Regional Vice-President, Caisses populaires acadiennes), Major Fundraising Campaign Chair, as well as a number of dignitaries, this event concluded with the announcement of an exceptional donation of $1 million from the Friends of Healthcare, a group made up of René Beaudet, Chair, Wendy Aubé, Gilles Haché and Robert Beaudet.
“The Friends of Healthcare have been a long-standing partner of the Foundation and this historical one-time donation allows the Foundation to launch its campaign on very strong foundations,” said René Beaudet, Chair of the group. “The exceptional announcement of $1 million this morning is a motivation for the whole team and it will certainly have an influence on other potential donors. We want to thank the Friends of Healthcare for their great generosity and are proud to associate their name with the new auditorium, integrated ambulatory units waiting room, and gymnasium for the facility staff,” stated René Legacy, Campaign Chair.
Several people believe that a project as colossal as the Chaleur Regional Hospital’s is first and foremost a construction and renovation project: expanding floors, building new rooms, moving nursing units, repatriating services. IT’S SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT! In fact, the hospital expansion project is a suitable response to the ever changing and increasing needs of patients, physicians, and care teams in Bathurst. It is about achieving a vision, i.e. improving all that can be improved to bring incredible benefits to patients. The Foundation has chosen to take part in this extraordinary modernization adventure by investing in the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment.
The money raised during the campaign will supplement the $200 million investment from the provincial government. We are launching a major $5 million fundraising campaign to help modernize the regional hospital. Concretely your generosity will go towards the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment for four priority projects:
“Thanks to the community’s generosity, we will be able to offer more comprehensive health services in a larger facility. This will benefit over 75,000 people in Northeastern New Brunswick,” said Stéphane Legacy, Vice-President, Outpatient and Professional Services.
People in the northeastern part of the province deserve to have such a modern hospital close to home. To stress the importance of this project for the population, Sandra Pitre delivered a moving testimony of her experience and that of her husband.
“My breast cancer and my husband’s heart surgery during my sick leave made me realize the importance of having health care available close to home. We both received good care outside the region but we were very pleased with the competent and human services we received at the regional hospital as well as with follow-up services we received through telehealth. Staying close to your family and friends also makes a lot of difference,” explained Ms. Pitre.
The campaign is supported by several influential people who are involved in the community. René Legacy was proud to introduce the members of his team who have already confirmed their support to various committees. Major donation members: Ian Hatheway, Dr. John LeBlanc, Roger Clinch, Daryll Stothart and Barry Kyle. Local Campaign Co-Chairs: Ed MacDermaid and Léo LeBlanc. Family Campaign Chair: Jennifer Henry. Community Sector Co-Chairs: Jean Allain and Silvana Bosca.
“This $5 million campaign is much more than a gesture of property modernization, it’s a society project. I’m very proud of people who join the volunteers team, which continues to grow as a nice family. I’m convinced that their commitment and dynamism will be determinant factors in the success of the campaign,” said Mr. Legacy.
Work is well under way according to the campaign committee. The response to our approach to date has been very positive. The next few weeks will continue to be very busy with major donations and a second press conference will be held shortly to present other important donors and partners who want their commitment to be publicly announced.
The Foundation is a strong partner of the Chaleur Regional Hospital. It acts as a driving force and supports the hospital’s projects that have a significant impact on the quality of patient care. The Foundation has invested over $12 million in the Chaleur Regional Hospital since 1990.