2nd Annual McAulay Jones Memorial Golf Tournament Raises over $19,000 to Support Local Nurses in Grief and Loss

Categories: Your Stories

Written by Heather and Peter Jones, McAulay’s parents.

We are so proud of the outcome of our 2nd Annual McAulay Jones Memorial Golf Tournament. It is our great honour to present the Health Services Foundation of the South Shore with a donation of $19,240.00. We give this gift on behalf of McAulay, for the benefit of Nursing at the South Shore Regional Hospital. Through a wide variety of community donations and sponsorship of McAulay’s tournament, we are able to support the development of resources for nurses. Support and tools for grief and loss, can be made more accessible to those in need.

I think that no matter what job you do, the people that do it best are the ones who make it personal. People that remain human when it would be so much easier to be machine. Nurses are rarely with us on our best days, unless it is during the birth of our children. Nurses are very often with us on our worst days. The doctors and nurses present on the worst days of our life were skilled and compassionate professionals. It was the nurses though, that saw us through. They cared for McAulay consistently, using their skills and their humanity. They answered hundreds of impossible questions, brought us blankets and tea, while also adjusting monitors, changing IVs and charting vitals. We could hear the hope they wished they could provide and see the hurt despite all best efforts to remain professional. They quietly tried to prepare us for our loss. We will be forever grateful to these kind humans. 

McAulay placed high value on self-care. We know he would wish for anyone affected by his loss to have access to support and tools to care for themselves. Equipment, facilities & systems will always benefit from upgrades. Those upgrades are important and expensive. We could have supported that essential infrastructure, but in this case, we felt it crucial to support the people. Without well supported & healthy health care workers the rest falls apart. This feels like the most appropriate way for us to say thank you.

From Arleen’s Desk – Spring 2024

Categories: News Bytes, From Arleen's Desk

We are over 100 days into the new year, and just days into the Health Services Foundation’s new fiscal year. I’m so grateful for what was very full and successful 2023/24 fiscal year where, together, we accomplished so much.

In the fundraising world (and in life) we rarely take the time to sit and reflect. I’m always so proud to look back over the past year and realize that, thanks to donors and supporters like you, the staff, Board and the Health Services Foundation have invested almost $1,000,000 in equipment and projects for Fishermen’s Memorial and South Shore Regional Hospitals. Our South Shore communities are so generous and invested in local healthcare – this is an accomplishment we should all celebrate!

This new fiscal year comes with a new “spring” in our step, as we prepare to tackle the work laid out in a new and forward-thinking strategic plan. While we’ll continue to focus on funding equipment and services at South Shore Regional and Fishermen’s Memorial Hospitals, we’ll also be looking at innovative healthcare, enhancing our relationships and connections to the health of our communities, and of course, physician settlement and retention. I’m looking forward to digging into the new plan with an aligned board and staff.

A tremendous thank you to the Nova Scotia Health staff, community members, Foundation Board and staff who dedicated their time and efforts into meaningful, forward-looking thoughts to guide us as we jump into the next five years. 

We have so much work ahead of us but at the same time, opportunity to grow the Foundation, enhance local healthcare and take advantage of the outcomes of a very successful capital campaign. I hope you can join us on this exciting journey!

Health Services Foundation of the South Shore & Fishermen’s Memorial Hospital to Benefit from Tim Horton’s Smile Cookie Campaign

Categories: News Bytes

Tim Horton’s annual Smile Cookie campaign is returning at the end of April and the Mahone Bay location is going to raise funds for a critical part of Fishermen’s Memorial Hospital.

From April 29 through May 5, proceeds from the sale of the famous Smile Cookies will support the Emergency Department at the 72-year old hospital.

Last year, the Mahone Bay Tim Horton’s raised over $3,500 to donate to the hospital through the Health Services Foundation of the South Shore.

To participate in this year’s Smile Cookie campaign, visit the Mahone Bay Tim Horton’s at 33 Edgewater Street. You can also call in your Smile Cookie orders 902-624-0889 or place an order through the Tim Hortons mobile app.

Thank you for your support of local healthcare and the Health Services Foundation of the South Shore.

CIBC Foundation Invests to Bring SPECT-CT Technology to South Shore

Categories: News Bytes

The CIBC Foundation has once again proven its commitment to improving the lives of all people living with cancer  with a $200,000 donation to the Health Services Foundation’s Brighter Days capital campaign, supporting the South Shore Regional Hospital redevelopment project.   

This generous gift is in support of the hospital’s first SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography)-CT scanner. A SPECT-CT is a form of nuclear medicine that combines the x-ray images of a traditional CT-scan with a 3D gamma radiation-camera, to give a 360-degree scan of a patient.

This type of nuclear medicine is an important diagnostic tool for many health conditions and diseases, especially useful in identifying many types of cancer. It can also track a patient’s progress during the different stages of their cancer journey.

Dr. Chen Meng, a Radiologist at South Shore Regional Hospital, says this will result in major improvements when analyzing a patient’s medical issues and needs.

“A SPECT-CT adds the benefit of a CT-scanner to a nuclear medicine scanner. For example, this will prove to be a significant improvement in care for cancer patients waiting for their diagnosis, particularly during this pandemic era where long wait times for diagnostic imaging tests are already impacting patients. A SPECT-CT will improve efficiency, decrease CT-scan wait times by freeing up our current CT-scanner, and provide a secondary backup CT scanner for when our primary machine is down for repair (for emergency cases). It will bring South Shore Regional Hospital to the same standard of care the rest of province and country experiences.”

South Shore Regional Hospital is one of only two hospitals without local access to a SPECT-CT scanner in the province.

“Cancer is a cause that is very important to us at CIBC because it affects so many Canadians, including our team members, clients, and loved ones. Through CIBC and the CIBC Foundation, we invest in organizations that deliver cancer research, treatment, screening and diagnosis; and wellness, survivorship, and patient support programs. We’re proud to support South Shore Regional Hospital as it works to improve the lives of all people living with cancer,” said Ronan Ryan, Executive Director of the CIBC Foundation.

Thank you, CIBC Foundation, for supporting the future of healthcare on Nova Scotia’s South Shore.

14th Gift From The Heart Radiothon Raises Over $150,000 for the South Shore’s ICU

Categories: News Bytes

Love was certainly in the air for the South Shore’s only Intensive Care Unit this Valentine’s Day.

Hundreds of residents, businesses and organizations along the South Shore helped raise over $150,000  during the Gift From The Heart Radiothon.

Funds raised through this year’s event will purchase a number of essential items for the ICU at South Shore Regional Hospital, including an ultrasound, a new bed and mattress, special broda chairs and wall and door kits.

Health Services Foundation Executive Director Arleen Stevens says the awe of Radiothon Day never goes away. “We are so thankful and grateful for how our South Shore communities rally around our local hospitals. We are still in awe of what our donors make possible each and every year through the Gift From The Heart Radiothon. We are excited to have the ICU at our regional hospital now be able to move forward with projects that will enhance the ICU experience for both patients and staff.”

With this total in the books, the annual fundraiser, heard on CKBW and Country 100.7, has raised over $1.8-million to enhance healthcare at the regional hospital. 

While the Gift From The Heart Radiothon is over donations can be made online anytime at healthservicesfoundation.ca.

$50,000 Raised to Lift Fishermen’s Memorial Hospital

Categories: News Bytes

Curlers and supporters “rocked” the fundraising goal of the Health Services Foundation’s 24th annual West Nova Fuels Curl for a Cause.

By the end of the bonspiel, the annual fundraiser for Fishermen’s Memorial Hospital raised $49,854.53 towards the purchase of 23 new patient ceiling lifts for the 71-year old hospital.

The purchase of these lifts is part of the Health Services Foundation’s Operation: Lift Fishermen’s. The total price tag of the 23 lifts is over $265,000, with the rest of the amount looking to be raised between now and the 2025 Curl for a Cause.

These lifts promote mobility and dignity for patients who can no longer mobilize safely without this assistive device. They also reduce the risk of injury amongst the healthcare team. While there are portable lifts at Fishermen’s Memorial Hospital, these often do not work smoothly in the confines of some patient care areas.

Over the past 24 years, West Nova Fuels Curl for a Cause has raised over $881,000 to make 96 pieces of medical equipment or hospital projects possible.

Save the date for the 25th West Nova Fuels Curl for a Cause, February 28-March 2, 2025.

From Arleen’s Desk – Winter 2024

Categories: From Arleen's Desk

January is one of the busiest times of year for the Health Services Foundation of the South Shore. Even with the Brighter Days capital campaign in the background, we are looking toward to our event season.

Tune into the fun of the 14th annual Radiothon on February 14th.  I’m so excited that the Foundation will be able to host part of this 12-hour live broadcast on CKBW and Country 100.7 within the walls of South Shore Regional again. It’s been too long since Radiothon has been able to be in the hospital and close to staff.  Call in on Radiothon day ( save the number 1-833-368-3800) and help support the South Shore’s ICU and the tremendous life-saving work of our ICU medical staff and doctors. The phone lines are open at 6:00am.

Only a couple of quick weeks after Radiothon is the 24th annual West Nova Fuels Curl for a Cause, dedicated to our wonderful Fishermen’s Memorial Hospital. We see the $1-million goal soon in sight for this tremendous bonspiel! Come down to the Lunenburg Curling Club on March 1, 2 & 3, watch our curlers and participate in the auction. This is a marathon 3-day weekend event with loads of fun for everyone.

In the very near future we’ll focus on a new strategic plan. This plan takes the energy and focus given to the Brighter Days capital campaign and puts it into a 5-year plan, to expand what we do while raising more donations for both Fishermen’s Memorial and South Shore Regional Hospital. A huge thank you to the staff, Board, donors and community members who took the time this fall to give their big picture view on the possibilities of the Foundation.

And, of course, a big thank you to our incredible volunteers who help with all aspects of these events –  we couldn’t do it without you!

From Arleen’s Desk – Fall 2023

Categories: From Arleen's Desk

Recently I had a chance to tour the new construction of the South Shore Regional Hospital Redevelopment. If you drive by our regional site, you can’t help but notice the crane, the trucks and the general activities of construction. What a change a week brings to this site. The newly expanded Emergency Department has cement walls and a roof. The Dialysis Unit has all the sub floor piping that patients will never see, walls and a ceiling. The structure for the ambulance bay has begun and the new access routes at the back of the site are in place and paved. And the large crane which has been instrumental in the build, leaves in early October.

The Foundation staff and I are so pleased to have played a small part in the initial community consultation of this build and in the subsequent equipment fundraising now holding steady at $10.5M.

Within the walls of our hospitals, we extend a warm welcome to the new doctors who have recently moved to start practicing on the South Shore, including Dr. Michael Gibson, the new palliative care physician. I had the opportunity to spend an evening with Dr. Gibson, and other hospital staff, when he first considered practicing in Lunenburg. I was struck by his gentle kindness and warmth. I’m sure you will be too if you have the opportunity to meet him. Dr. Gibson is one of ten new physicians who have arrived on the South Shore since the spring. NSH Physician Recruiter Patti Smith and our own Foundation Physician Settlement and Retention Coordinator Martha Marchand, have been instrumental in the success of bringing and settling these ten physicians. These physicians include a cardiologist, rheumatologist, surgeon, family medicine, a hospitalist among others. Please give them a warm welcome to Lunenburg County if you see them.

Now that the Brighter Days campaign, for the most part, is behind us, we are looking ahead and five years into the future. A retreat is planned for the Foundation’s Board of Directors for the end of October and the new strategic plan is in the works. We are asking ourselves where do we want to be in five years and what ways can we best contribute to our communities. Soon, we will pose that question to you.

May your autumn be as healthy as the air is crisp!

Arleen  

The Ruth Salter Memorial Fund: the Impact of DAFs

Categories: Your Stories

Harold Wainwright was not one for the spotlight. He took great pride in being active, whether through his 35-years of work at Michelin Bridgewater, his time in the Canadian military or conquering Nova Scotia’s ski hills.

Giving to healthcare on the South Shore became an annual tradition of Mr. Wainwright, beginning in 1988 with a $20 donation to the development of South Shore Regional Hospital. His desire to give more to his regional hospital grew over the years, as did his want to honour his mother, Ruth, with his philanthropy.

Medical professionals having the equipment they need in their hospital was very important to Mr. Wainwright. As he pondered his long-term philanthropic giving, his financial advisor introduced him to donor advised funds.

A donor advised fund is a personal charitable account established and named by an individual or family. The fund receives donations from its founder (or founders), often made both in their lifetime and by their estate. Essentially, it is like starting a personal foundation, minus the expensive overhead of managing it.

In 2015, Mr. Wainwright created a donor advised fund to honour his mother: the Ruth Salter Memorial Fund. This fund gives to two charities annually, one being the Health Services Foundation for its area of greatest need.

Donor advised funds not only allow the donor setting up the fund to benefit from a sizeable tax receipt during the creation of the fund, but also allows the donor to plan their future charitable donations, instead of making a one-time large donation.

While Mr. Wainwright has passed away, his legacy (and that of his mother) continues to enhance healthcare at South Shore Regional Hospital. He set up the donor advised fund so it will continue to invest in important healthcare projects on the South Shore over the next ten years, all in Ruth’s name.

“Mr. Wainwright was a private and thoughtful man who wanted to make his hospital the best it could be for himself, his neighbours and his communities,” notes Arleen Stevens, Executive Director of the Health Services Foundation. “In all of our meetings and tours of the hospital he was always clear that he never wanted to be recognized during his lifetime even though he gave consistently for 23 years. He often used tax efficient methods like a DAF or gifts of stocks and with these donations he helped to buy many pieces of equipment especially in diagnostic Imaging and cardiology. He did accomplish what he had intended and that was making his hospital better for those around him.”  

As of Summer 2023, the Ruth Salter Memorial Fund has given $292,168 towards various projects at South Shore Regional Hospital.

If you are considering your philanthropic future and your finances, consider asking your financial advisor about donor advised funds. Or reached out to the Health Services Foundation to learn more about how your gift can make a positive impact to your community.

Health Services Foundation’s Brighter Days Campaign Raises Over $10,000,000

Categories: News Bytes

The Health Services Foundation has announced its first-ever capital campaign has raised a grand total of $10,275,851 in support of the South Shore Regional Hospital redevelopment.

Generous gifts of all sizes, from individuals, businesses and other charitable led to the Foundation and its volunteer fundraising team met and exceeded its fundraising goal of $9.5-million.

Over two years, the Brighter Days campaign volunteers and the staff at the Health Services Foundation worked to raise gifts, including three $1-million gifts.

Health Services Foundation Executive Director Arleen Stevens says she is blown away by the final total.

“To think of where we started with this campaign to the total we see in front of us is astounding. This total is an amazing gift from our community to South Shore Regional Hospital. It has been heartening to see the community get behind this redevelopment, which has been a long time coming.”

Discussions around the redevelopment of South Shore Regional have taken place, off and on, over the past 16 years, with plans for the $115.7-million project becoming a reality in 2020.

The excess funds raised over the Brighter Days campaign’s goal will be put in the Brighter Days Legacy Fund, which will be there to continue to fund all the departments involved in the South Shore Regional Hospital Redevelopment, including the hospital’s Emergency, Endoscopy and Day Surgery Departments, as well as the new Dialysis Unit, MRI and SPECT-CT scanners.

“Tim and I have long said that this capital campaign and this redevelopment aren’t going to fix all the issues in healthcare in our region or in our province,” notes Campaign Co-Chair David Himmelman, “but each Brighter Days gift supports making healthcare better for all of us on the South Shore”.

Campaign Co-Chair Tim O’Regan nods to the odd-timing of the campaign. “The Brighter Days campaign started during the COVID-19 pandemic, and while it wasn’t ideal, the realities the pandemic brought to the forefront of many minds is how important and how tireless our healthcare professionals work to keep our communities healthy and safe. We are pleased to be able to raise this amount to support the redevelopment and make their workplace the best it can be.”

The redevelopment project’s two-story addition, which will house the expanded Emergency, Endoscopy and Dialysis Departments is on track to be completed in late 2025. The MRI scanner will be the next addition, estimated to be complete in 2026. The expansion of the Day Surgery Department will be the final piece, with an estimated completion of 2027.

For capital campaign highlights and redevelopment news, visit healthservicesfoundation.ca/brighter-days.