The Ottawa Hospital Foundation today celebrated an outstanding year of giving. During its annual Report to the Community, the Foundation announced more than $12.6 million has been raised for the 20-20 Campaign, which aims to raise $20 million in 20 months to expand The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre at the General Campus.

During the event, Hospital leaders highlighted generous gifts to the Hospital, such as the recent $1-million donation to the 20-20 Campaign from Roche – one of the Hospital’s leading suppliers.

“The staff at The Ottawa Hospital is forever grateful for the generosity shown to us by this community,” said Dr. Jack Kitts to the attendees. “We remain a world leader in health care only because we are supported by world-class citizens.”

Of note, the community’s generosity has had an impact on wait times at the Ages Cancer Assessment Clinic at the General Campus.

• Assessment and diagnosis in the sanofi-aventis Lung Cancer Diagnostic Unit has been reduced by over 30 per cent in many cases.
• Biopsies in the MDS Nordion Prostate Cancer Diagnostic Unit are often being done within a week of request, instead of 8 to 12 weeks.

Other highlights from the past year include the opening of the Civic Campus Intensive Care Unit and the start of the General Campus Emergency Room construction.

In addition to highlighting donor impact, The Ottawa Hospital Foundation presented awards to volunteers and donors for their outstanding contributions. The Volunteer of the Year Award went to the Hospital’s Chief Operating Officer Gino Picciano, who over the years has helped the Foundation raise more than $5.6 million.

The Inspiration Award was given to the staff of MDS Nordion for their tireless efforts. In the past nine years, their fundraising during Ottawa Race Weekend has raised more than $660,000 for The Ottawa Hospital, including support for cancer care and research.

The Philanthropic Group of the Year Award was handed to Steve Kaminski, President of Colonnade Development and SiteCast Construction, in recognition for his fundraising efforts for the 20-20 Campaign.

Last year Colonnade challenged its staff, suppliers and tenants to support the Campaign. As an incentive, the company pledged to match all funds raised dollar for dollar, up to $250,000. The campaign ended this month and raised an impressive $310,000 before including the matching dollars.

The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre at the General Campus is undergoing the largest expansion in its history. The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s 20-20 Campaign aims to raise $20 million in 20 months for the project, which will double the current size of the Centre.

The expansion of The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre is critical. The Ottawa Hospital is the hub of cancer care in our region and this year alone, more than 21,000 patients will rely on its fully integrated outpatient centre for treatment.

The Ottawa Hospital 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. 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 lifesaving 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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