At Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH), we see YOU.
We see you waiting for your test results, wondering if everything is going to be okay.
We see you hurting and in pain, looking to us for answers.
We see you anxious before surgery, placing your trust in our hands.
We see you. Waiting, hurting, and hoping.
And we are with you through some of the most difficult moments of your life: sitting beside a loved one in the ICU, rushing into the ER, watching your child go into surgery or receiving life-changing news.
Because at GBGH, we see you, and we’re here for you.
That’s why I’m thrilled that the GBGH Foundation has officially launched the “We See You: Inside and Out” campaign. “We See You” is a bold $20-million initiative to strengthen healthcare in North Simcoe and ensure that every patient, caregiver and community member feels truly seen.
My name is Maggie, and as a registered nurse at GBGH, I am honoured to be a spokesperson for this initiative because I truly believe that this is more than a campaign. It’s a promise that is going to help us continue to deliver excellent care to our patients.
Because while technology is great, “We See You” is all about putting the emphasis fully on the patient, by ensuring we have the critical equipment we need to care for them to the best of our ability.
For example, right now, GBGH needs to replace 23 medication carts at a cost of $23,000 each.
This is one of our hospitals’ most urgent needs. But let’s be honest, medication carts aren’t flashy, and you may not realize how important equipment is to the care we provide.
The impact of these new carts is that our nurses will have more direct time with our patients.
The medication carts we currently have are at least eight to nine years old. And many of them don’t hold a charge anymore so you can’t unplug
them and roll them into the patients’ room.
This defeats the purpose of having mobile medication carts, as the safest and most efficient way to dispense medicine is at the bedside, and currently we can’t get a lot of these carts to the bedside. Plus, the steering often doesn’t work and most of the drawers don’t lock, or they fall open. This isn’t secure and nurses often have to go get medicine from the supply cabinet themselves.
Once we can purchase new carts, every nurse will have a dedicated cart for their shift, to help them to see their patients and care for them where they are.
“I was very independent before I got sick, so it was very hard to adapt to having to rely on people to do everything for me. The way the team at GBGH cared for me, it felt like family. They took the time to get to know me, and that made all the difference.”
Because technology is great, but as a nurse who has worked in the ICU and surgical units, I can tell you without a doubt, what matters most is the time we have with our patients.
We want more time to explain the medications they are taking, to hear from our patients about their pain levels and symptoms, to answer their questions, or to take a few moments to provide a few comforting words or hold their hand.
We want to provide excellent and more personal care for patients.
And updated technology allows us to do exactly that.
But right now, with the busy winter season approaching and patient volumes surging, we need your help to purchase these carts and other urgently needed equipment right away, across all departments of the hospital.
When you make a special holiday gift today, you are truly seeing and acknowledging our patients’ needs, and you are directly helping nurses like me, better see and care for patients in our community.
Because we not only see our patients and caregivers, but we also see you.
As a valued donor, you are a true partner in helping us provide excellent care. We want you to know that we see your commitment to healthcare in our
community. We see your dedication to improving healthcare for the future. And we see your generosity and loving spirit.
And we are deeply grateful for all that you do.
YES! I will help GBGH better see and care for patients in our community.
Make your gift in honour of someone (a loved one, GBGH team member or patient), and we will put their name on an ornament on the holiday tree in the hospital’s main lobby.
A gift to GBGH is a wonderful way to show you care this holiday season.
