On June 25, the Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) Foundation held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Sainte Marie Among the Hurons.
A clean audit report was presented, highlighting generous donations of more than $2,280,000 which enabled the hospital to purchase essential equipment, including a portable x-ray machine, vital signs monitors, portable ultrasound for the intensive care unit (ICU) and a surgical video tower. GBGH relies on community support to fund all the tools and technology required for patient care, as the government does not fund any equipment for hospitals.
“We have had another successful year at the Foundation and it is due to the efforts of the many people who made generous financial contributions, and to the champions of our cause, who work tirelessly behind the scenes to support healthcare in our community,” says David Turner, president of the GBGH Foundation Board of Directors. “The highlight of the year for me was seeing the completion of the Emergency department redevelopment, and the addition of the new CT Scanner in October, knowing that our community saw these projects through to completion.”
In addition to other standard AGM agenda items such as donor recognition and annual highlights, the audience experienced a keynote presentation from Natalie Harris.
Harris is a retired Simcoe County advanced care paramedic and current City of Barrie councillor. Harris, who authored Save-My-Life School: A first responder’s mental health journey, recounted her personal struggles with mental health, addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder as a first responder. The meeting’s audience of nearly 100 included first responders and staff from local police, fire, paramedics, Central North Correctional Centre and Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care.
This year’s winners of the Robbert Hartog Innovation in Health Award were also announced at the meeting. This award is an opportunity to recognize and honour the outstanding achievements of staff and credentialed staff from GBGH. This year’s winners are Jennifer Moore (communications officer) and Dr. Vik Ralhan (ED physician and medical quality lead), who will each receive $2,500 toward furthering their professional learning and development.
The GBGH Foundation Board is welcoming one new director this year. Kathy Elsdon Befort, who recently served as the Foundation’s interim Executive Director, will join the Board for a three-year term.
Finally, three directors are leaving the Board as their term ends. We would like to thank and acknowledge Carey Moran, Roger Goddard and Janet Magee for their many valuable contributions during their time with us.