2004 News Releases

For immediate release - December 10, 2004

Scotiabank Group Honoured for its $500,000 Gift to New Urgent Care Unit at The Ottawa Hospital

(OTTAWA, ONTARIO) - The Ottawa Hospital Foundation today recognized Scotiabank Group’s $500,000 commitment to The Ottawa Hospital by unveiling the newly named Scotiabank Group Urgent Care Unit at the Hospital’s Civic Campus. The new Urgent Care Unit is part of ongoing construction to expand the Emergency Department at the Civic Campus.

“Scotiabank Group is committed to supporting causes that help build healthy communities, and a healthy community needs a healthy hospital,” said Dennis Jackson, District Vice-President of Scotiabank. “We are proud to be a partner of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, and to know that this financial commitment will help build a better hospital that has the best patient care and research.”

At the same event, Susan Doyle, President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, announced that the Foundation has reached the $60-million mark of its five-year, $100-million Legacy Campaign.

“When we started our Legacy Campaign in 2002, we never imagined the incredible response we would receive from individuals and corporations across our region,” said Ms. Doyle. “We are grateful for the generosity of organizations like Scotiabank Group, whose $500,000 commitment is helping transform The Ottawa Hospital into the first-class facility we envision for our community.”

The Civic Campus Emergency expansion, one of the Legacy Campaign’s key capital projects, will cost $21 million, with $14 million from government and $7 million coming from community donations. The Ottawa Hospital Foundation needs to raise another $1 million by spring 2005 to reach its $7-million objective.

The Emergency Department was originally built for 30,000 visits a year. Last year alone, there were close to 60,000 emergency visits to this campus. When completed in 2005, the new department will accommodate 70,000 yearly visits and will feature:

• A state-of-the-art environment for treating seriously injured and ill patients.
• More space for patients and health care teams to ensure privacy and comfort.
• A short-term treatment area so that those with less serious medical problems can be treated quickly.
• A new CT scanner right in the Emergency Department.
• New, state-of-the-art critical care monitors and other medical equipment.
• A separate, private area for patients and families experiencing mental health emergencies.
• Play area, children’s room, and quiet rooms for people experiencing a crisis.
• A new sexual assault centre.

With its 1,130 beds, The Ottawa Hospital is one of the largest teaching hospitals in Canada. It provides comprehensive, high-quality, patient-focused health care services, in English and French, to over 1.5 million residents of Eastern Ontario, and specialized and complex services for residents of Northeastern Ontario. For more information, visit The Ottawa Hospital Web site at www.ottawahospital.on.ca.

The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s mission is to inspire and enable people to support the highest quality health care at The Ottawa Hospital and world-class research at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. For more information, visit The Ottawa Hospital Foundation Web site at www.ohfoundation.ca.

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