RVH AUXILIARY GIVES HEALTH CENTRE A BOOST

Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre has received another cheque from its Auxiliary. It’s a $350,000 donation – the latest instalment of a $2-million pledge to the Hearts and Minds Campaign. The funds will be used to develop an advanced cardiac care program and a child and youth mental health inpatient program at RVH. Neither of these services exist in Simcoe Muskoka and patients are often transported beyond the region to receive care.Hearts and Mind will fund the necessary equipment and tools for these programs as these costs are not provided by the provincial government. “Once again the RVH Auxiliary is leading the way with their generous support of advanced cardiac care and child and youth mental health,” says Janice Skot RVH president and CEO. “The Auxiliary is always the first to step up to the plate when the need arises, shown through a $5 million pledge to our expansion, a $1.5 million pledge to the Cardiac Care Unit (CCU), and now this most recent pledge of $2 million. We are humbled and inspired by the Auxiliary’s ongoing support and ability to raise funds.”

The “Blue Brigade”, as the Auxiliary is affectionately known, plays a significant role not only in the improvement of patient care but is a second set of hands to assist RVH staff, performing duties such as transporting patients, providing directions to visitors and completing clerical tasks. The Auxiliary also raises money through many of its fundraisers – Tag Days, vendor sales, Nevada lottery, and an annual bazaar, as well as through its two businesses – The Café Royale and Victoria’s Gift Shop.

Joining in with members of the Auxiliary for the photo are (front, from left) David McCullough, chair RVH Foundation; Crystal Bell, manager RVH Mental Health Inpatient and Crisis Services; Kirsten Parker, chair RVH Board of Directors; Janice Skot, RVH president and CEO; Janice Williams, president, RVH Auxiliary; Dr. Mohammad Haqqi, cardiologist, and Selma Mitchell, operations director, RVH Cardiovascular program