Having an MRI machine on the South Shore has led the Queens General Hospital Foundation to make a six-figure gift to the South Shore Regional Hospital Redevelopment Project.

The QGH Foundation, which has supported health care in Queens County for over 30-years, has committed $725,000 to the project’s fundraising efforts, organized by the Health Services Foundation of the South Shore.

QGH Foundation Chair Dr. Al Doucet says when there is a service added to South Shore Regional Hospital that will serve those who live in Queens County, their Foundation wants to be supportive of it.

“Our mandate is to support the health care of the people of Queens County and this is a great way to do it. When an MRI for South Shore Regional was added to the hospital’s redevelopment project, the discussion at our Foundation’s table was not really a discussion at all! South Shore Regional is the only regional hospital in Nova Scotia without an MRI. It is much needed, so we were happy to put our $725,000 to work to make it possible. Our donors have given the funds to enable us to make this donation and the QGH Foundation is happy to do so.”

It’s not the first time the volunteer-led QGH Foundation has supported the Health Services Foundation’s efforts at South Shore Regional. The two charities have partnered in support of the SSRH CAT Scan and the South Shore Health Bursary.

“It’s our regional hospital,” notes Dr. Doucet. “Our friends, families and neighbours are always going back and forth between Queens General and South Shore Regional. Physicians and staff at the two hospitals connect and work together daily for our patients. If you needed an MRI today you have to go to Yarmouth, Kentville or Halifax. To put an MRI in Bridgewater will reduce the amount of travel and time it takes for our South Shore patients to receive the scan. It will be close and available in emergency situations.”

“Strong relationships can and do create win-wins for our South Shore communities when it comes to health care.”

On top of the addition of the MRI, the $115.7-million Redevelopment Project will expand the Emergency, Endoscopy and Day Surgery Departments at South Shore Regional. The project will also see the addition of Dialysis Treatments to Bridgewater; this addition will not take away or impact the renal dialysis services presently offered at Queens General Hospital.

The Health Services Foundation of the South Shore is very excited and committed to supporting the South Shore Regional Hospital Redevelopment Project. It will have more news to share on its volunteer-led fundraising effort in the coming months.

Media contact:

Alison Clements – Manager, Strategic Engagement

Health Services Foundation of the South Shore    902-521-9522

The South Shore Regional Hospital Redevelopment Project has received a huge financial boost, thanks to a historic gift from its Auxiliary.

The Auxiliary — initially formed 70 years ago to make jam for the patient’s trays and curtains for the former Dawson Memorial Hospital in Bridgewater — is now one of the leading forces in the redevelopment of regional health care.

The South Shore Regional Hospital Auxiliary has committed $1,000,000 towards the long-awaited build that will see the hospital grow by nearly 30%. It’s also the first million-dollar gift by a non-profit in the Health Services Foundation of the South Shore’s fundraising initiative for the project.

SSRH Auxiliary President Alison Reynolds notes this donation is certainly their group’s largest lump-sum donation and one of the largest made by a hospital auxiliary in Nova Scotia.

“The SSRH Auxiliary is here to support the hospital and its needs but to also foster good health care in the community. This project fit into both categories and our members certainly recognize the need for this expansion and redevelopment of our hospital.”

“Anyone who has bought a painting at the Shoreline Gallery or a chocolate bar at the Gift Shoppe or who has shopped at The Daisy; they made this donation possible. Kudos to the community because without that support we would have nothing. Each purchase makes a difference.”

With talk of the redevelopment of the 33-year-old hospital going on for over a decade, Alison says the SSRH Auxiliary had time to prepare its gift.

“When the idea first came to light, the SSRH Auxiliary members knew they wanted to be part of it, so they made it a goal to put away $250,000 a year to save for when the project was to actually move forward.”

This $115.7-million project will expand the Emergency, Endoscopy and Day Surgery Departments, as well as bring Dialysis Treatments and a MRI Scanner to Bridgewater. Health Services Foundation Board Chair Nick Saunders says the Auxiliary’s $1,000,000 donation will support the Day Surgery Department expansion, as well as four dialysis treatment areas.

“The Foundation is profoundly grateful for this generous contribution toward the redevelopment effort. We count the Auxiliary as a close member of the hospital family, and its early investment will help us build momentum for the fundraising efforts that will follow.”

The Health Services Foundation of the South Shore is very excited and committed to supporting the South Shore Regional Hospital Redevelopment Project. It will have more news to share on its volunteer-led fundraising effort in the coming months.

Media contact:

Alison Clements – Manager, Strategic Engagement

Health Services Foundation of the South Shore    902-521-9522

Brighter Days are certainly on the horizon in 2022 for the South Shore Regional Hospital’s Redevelopment Project.

Local businessmen David Himmelman and Tim O’Regan are co-chairing the Health Services Foundation’s fundraising initiative for the Redevelopment and are giving back in a big way. They and their families have pledged $1-million towards this once-in-a-generation project.

“When we accepted the roles as co-chairs of the Foundation’s fundraising portion for the South Shore Regional Redevelopment Project, we both knew we wanted to be more than volunteers” said Tim. “Each of our families understand how important the redevelopment of our regional hospital is to the future of our South Shore communities and we want to help ensure the project’s success with our donations.”

For David, the South Shore has been home to his family for nine generations. “It has been ingrained in us how fortunate we are to live and do business on the South Shore. I know it’s time for all of us to support and invest in our local hospital system through this major redevelopment and help raise the funds to acquire the necessary equipment and services our communities deserve. With the support of medical teams at Fishermen’s Memorial, Queens General and Roseway Hospitals, South Shore Regional serves residents from Hubbards to Shelburne. It’s important that South Shore Regional remain a regional hospital and we are excited to be doing our part.”

Upon completion of the $115.7-million expansion and renewal of South Shore Regional Hospital, the patient and guest experience will be totally transformed. Health care will be delivered in spacious, modern and efficient facilities, meaning more efficient use of medical staff. This will also assist in the attraction and recruitment of all medical professionals.

South Shore Regional will grow in size by nearly 30%. The Emergency Department will triple in size while modern Day Surgery, Endoscopy and Dialysis units will be added. Also, the South Shore will have a MRI Scanner, long called for by its residents.

The Health Services Foundation of the South Shore is very excited and committed to be supporting the South Shore Regional Hospital Redevelopment Project. It will have more news to share on its volunteer-led fundraising effort in the coming months.

Media Contact:

Alison Clements

Manager, Strategic Engagement

Health Services Foundation of the South Shore

902-521-9522       alison.clements@nshealth.ca

South Shore Regional Hospital’s vital Day Surgery unit is set to triple in size as part of the facility’s Redevelopment Project.

Each year, about 3,000 surgical procedures are performed here: gynaecological, orthopaedic, oral, plastics, general surgery, ophthalmology, ENT (ear, nose, throat), and some pediatric surgeries. This is all accomplished in a space designed and built for the South Shore 33 years ago.  

While any surgical procedure can naturally bring with it some anxiety, some procedures, such as cancer surgeries, place a heavy emotional burden on patients. It is in these moments that we most want our space to enhance the patient experience by offering the best in terms of comfort, privacy and dignity.

Currently, floor space with the Day Surgery Unit is limited, which SSRH Medical Site Lead Dr. Heather Johnson notes can create challenges with patient flow.

“This is great news! By expanding Day Surgery, patients and their families will experience a modernized, private care area. Dedicated spaces for assessment and consultations will also improve patient flow, privacy and patient care sight lines for physicians and staff.”

The new expanded space will include dedicated private patient consult rooms, private pre-op and recovery spaces, and increased pre-assessment capacity.

The fully redeveloped department will be triple the size of our existing space. It will be a single purpose area with only one entry point for the public, that includes a large waiting space for family and support persons, as well as a dedicated pediatric waiting room.

After decades of leaving the South Shore to receive a MRI scans, residents of Lunenburg and Queens Counties will be able to receive this close to home.

The addition of state-of-the-art Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) diagnostic capability at South Shore Regional Hospital is one of the most exciting elements of the South Shore Regional Hospital Redevelopment.

The MRI will be located in a brand new 3,100 sq. ft. one story addition to the existing building and will mean more timely and convenient access to diagnostic imaging for our community.

SSRH Redevelopment Project Co-Lead and SSRH Site Lead Rob Zwicker says having a MRI at South Shore Regional will enhance the level of care patients care receive in our communities.

“It will mean fewer patients will have to travel, or be transferred, away from Queens and Lunenburg Counties for this important diagnostic service. And adding this technology will also help us attract and keep more physicians and other health care professionals.”

Residents of the South Shore have been calling for MRI technology to be added to the services of their regional hospital for many years. MRI images are particularly useful in visualizing the brain, spine and spinal cord, the musculoskeletal system, and in some cancer investigations. It is the imaging tool of choice in detecting joint injuries, tumors of the brain and spine, seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis and many forms of cancer.

With the ability to detect a wide variety of diseases and conditions, MRI scanning has become an essential tool of modern medical diagnostic testing.

The Health Services Foundation of the South Shore is very excited and committed to supporting the South Shore Regional Hospital Redevelopment Project. It will have more news to share on its volunteer-led fundraising effort in the coming months.

Media Contact:

Alison Clements

Manager, Strategic Engagement

Health Services Foundation of the South Shore

902-521-9522       alison.clements@nshealth.ca

For the first time, members of our local community receiving life-saving dialysis treatment for kidney disease or damage will soon be able to be treated in Lunenburg County.

A new 12-chair, 5,600 square foot Dialysis Unit is coming to South Shore Regional Hospital as part of the $115.7-million redevelopment project announced by the Province in 2020.

The dialysis unit will be a bright, modern and patient-friendly with lots of natural light. It will be a comfortable, uplifting place for patients who must spend hours at a time receiving treatment.

This unit is a significant service addition at South Shore Regional Hospital. It will help alleviate pressure on the dialysis treatment resources in the Central Zone while also providing the capacity to treat an increasing numbers of patients from our region.

Dialysis usually requires patients to be connected to a dialysis machine for a minimum of a few hours, multiple times per week. Currently dialysis patients from our region travel to Halifax or Liverpool for their dialysis sessions. For many that means asking a family member or a neighbor or hiring someone to drive them to their three weekly sessions, for months and sometimes years.

SSRH Redevelopment Project Co-Lead and SSRH Operations Site Lead Rob Zwicker says having dialysis services as an option at South Shore Regional will allow patients to stay in their community for treatment.

“We are thrilled the Redevelopment Project will bring Dialysis to our hospital. Renal Dialysis treatment is a significant time commitment for patients and their families. Bringing this service closer to home will lead to an improved patient experience and improved quality of life.”

Dialysis Patient Melinda Naugler is very pleased to learn the treatment will be available in Bridgewater.

“Travelling two hours to Halifax for dialysis was brutal, especially the winter driving. By the end of my 3-hour treatment I would be so exhausted, both physically and mentally, I was not able to drive myself home. The addition of travel cost added a layer of financial stress to an already difficult time.”

Today there are 3 million Canadians who have kidney damage or reduced kidney function. Patients can develop renal failure as a complication of diabetes, hypertension, cancer, trauma or even because of a hereditary condition.

The Health Services Foundation of the South Shore is very excited and committed to supporting the South Shore Regional Hospital Redevelopment Project. It will have more news to share on its volunteer-led fundraising effort in the coming months.

Media Contact:

Alison Clements

Manager, Strategic Engagement

Health Services Foundation of the South Shore

902-521-9522       alison.clements@nshealth.ca

South Shore residents in need of a “scope” will soon be able to have their procedures done in a more private and patient-friendly space.

Plans for the $115.7-million South Shore Regional Hospital Redevelopment Project, currently underway at the 33-year-old hospital, include a new Endoscopy Unit.

Endoscopy is a procedure where a ‘scope’ (thin, flexible tube with a light and camera on the end) is introduced into the body, used to look at patients’ bowels, stomachs and lungs.   

As the result of this redevelopment, these procedures will take place in a bright new, functional, purpose-built, patient-friendly space that is six times the size of the current small space. This SSRH Medical Site Lead Dr. Heather Robertson says is good news for patients and staff.

“With nearly 2,500 endoscopy procedures taking place at our hospital each year, having two dedicated rooms will support our continued high volume and high-quality endoscopy program. With increased privacy and additional waiting space, this new unit will greatly improve the patient experience.”

The Redevelopment Project will also include a dedicated negative pressure room for Endoscopy —a requirement for bronchoscopy—that also allows for patient isolation if required. Essential private patient washrooms will be abundant.

The Health Services Foundation of the South Shore is very excited and committed to supporting the South Shore Regional Hospital Redevelopment Project. It will have more news to share on its volunteer-led fundraising effort in the coming months.

Arms around the South Shore rejoiced as the popular Ambulatory Care Department at South Shore Regional Hospital was crowned winner of the Charm Diamond Centre’s Women’s Giving Circle.

Attendees raised $10,000 during the virtual fundraiser, annually organized by the Health Services Foundation of the South Shore.

Four hospital projects (three from South Shore Regional Hospital and one from Fishermen’s Memorial Hospital) made their five-minute video pitch to the attendees on Zoom. Those who took part voted to fund a vein visualizer for Ambulatory Care, which does as it suggests; scans the skin to locate hard-to-find veins for IVs to be inserted.

Ambulatory Care Manager Michelle Tipert says the AccuVein machine will scan over the skin, mapping out a patient’s vein flow.

“We start IVs every day in Ambulatory Care. Not all veins are easy to find, which means that first attempts aren’t always successful. This leads to multiple pokes with a needle or sometimes we can’t move forward with the treatment that day. This machine will reduce patient pain and procedure time while creating some ease for our nurses.”

The other hospital departments that pitched can submit their funding requests to the Health Services Foundation’s Board of Directors for further consideration.

Since 2014, the Charm Diamond Centre’s Women’s Giving Circle has raised over $80,000 to invest back into Lunenburg County hospitals.