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2005 News Releases
For immediate release
- April 18, 2005
The Ottawa Hospital Foundation Reaches $65 Million Mark of its
Capital Campaign
(OTTAWA, ONTARIO) - The Ottawa Hospital Foundation
today announced it had reached the $65 million mark of its Legacy
Campaign, the five-year, $100 million capital campaign to improve
healthcare and support research at The Ottawa Hospital. The announcement
was made during the Foundation’s third annual President’s
Report to the Community event at the Westin Hotel, where leaders
of The Ottawa Hospital, the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI)
and the Foundation outlined their achievements as well as future
investments in health care.
Speakers included Dr. Jack Kitts, President and CEO of The Ottawa
Hospital, Susan Doyle, President and CEO of the Ottawa Hospital
Foundation, as well as the OHRI’s Dr. Ronald Worton, CEO,
and Dr. Michael Rudnicki, Senior Scientist and Program Director.
Together they reported the following achievements – all made
possible by community donations – from the past year:
- The Ottawa Hospital Foundation received over 47,000 gifts, including
a $1 million donation from local businessman Peter Foustanellas.
- Construction of the new Critical Care Wing began in January
at the General Campus of the Hospital. The $75 million Wing is
one of the biggest health care construction projects in a generation
with 17 state-of-the-art operating rooms, 32 Intensive Care Unit
beds, 36 recovery room beds and a new surgical day care unit.
- The Civic Emergency Department opened two major phases, including
a new Trauma/Resuscitation area. The ongoing expansion project
will double the size of the Emergency by the time it officially
opens in 2006.
On the research front, in 2004-2005, scientists at the OHRI:
- discovered a type of treatment that alleviates the symptoms
of muscular dystrophy by countering the devastating effects of
a specific biochemical pathway in muscle fibres.
- demonstrated how a protein can play a key role in the chain
of events that directs stem cells to repair muscle in the human
body. This research is leading the way in the development of new
drugs and therapies for the treatment of several devastating diseases.
- took important steps in harnessing the potential of viruses
that kill cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched.
The Foundation also honoured several donors for their outstanding
contributions to the Hospital, including:
- The three volunteer auxiliary groups at the Civic, General and
Riverside campuses of the Hospital, who represent about 1,700
volunteers. Together they have donated more than $4.5 million
to the Foundation over the years.
- Inez Zelikovitz, who donated $500,000 to Foundation in 2004.
Inez and her husband Joseph had promised each other that whoever
outlived the other would donate all they had to charity.
- Steve Kaminski, a dedicated, long-time volunteer at the Foundation.
- Chris Ferguson, a Clinical Manager at the Civic Emergency Department
who has personally inspired hundreds of prospective donors over
the years, and who is now spearheading a major employee fundraising
campaign.
The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s mission
is to inspire and enable people to support the highest quality healthcare
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.
The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) is a multi-campus, academic
health sciences centre, serving 1.5 million residents of Ottawa
and Eastern Ontario, both in English and French. It provides care
for more patients than any other hospital in Canada, and boasts
specialty centres in cancer, heart, kidney and vision care, as well
as rehabilitation services. Working together with the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, the University of Ottawa, and other partners,
TOH is gaining national recognition for high-quality patient care,
teaching and research. It ranks as one of the most efficient teaching
hospitals in the country. For more information, visit The Ottawa
Hospital Web site at www.ottawahospital.on.ca.
The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute is the research
arm of The Ottawa Hospital, and a major part of the University of
Ottawa Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Health Sciences. For more
information visit the OHRI Web site at www.ohri.ca.
For more information, please contact:
Carl Martin
Vice-President, Communications & Marketing, The Ottawa Hospital
Foundation
Tel.: (613) 798-5555, ext. 17840
Cell: 762-3432
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