August 5,2010/-KINGSTON, ON  A celebration was held to mark the conclusion of the Hotel Dieu Hospital (HDH) employee giving campaign for Together We Can.  As he welcomed staff to the event, campaign Co-Chair Clarence Willms said, "You won’t believe how much we’ve raised; it’s amazing!’ And, it was.

Hotel Dieu Hospital CEO Dr. David Pichora announced the results while canvassers helped him reveal the numbers one by one to display the final tally.  The total raised through pledges and donations from HDH staff was $128,000! 


       Dr. David Pichora and helpers unveil campaign total

Staff from all departments in the hospital joined in the campaign to show their commitment to caring for patients in the best surroundings possible and doing their part to support the redevelopment of Kingston's hospitals.

The almost 900 employees at Hotel Dieu Hospital are eagerly anticipating a major redevelopment project that will include finishing two floors to accommodate specialized clinics; building a new Pulmonary Function Testing lab; building a new cystoscopy/procedure suite; adding two new elevators; and doing some minor lobby renovations.  Once complete, the redevelopment will allow for at least 50,000 new clinic visits annually.
 
Dr. Pichora said, “Thank you to everyone who heard the message, listened, participated and donated to the employee campaign.  We owe a special thank you to campaign co-chairs Marianne McLure and Clarence Willms who led by example, and to each of the 20 volunteers who canvassed, collected and counted during the course of the campaign.”

Denise Cumming, Executive Director of University Hospitals Kingston Foundation, and Ian Wilson, chair of Together We Can, were on hand to express thanks.  They praised the philanthropic culture that exists at HDH and congratulated everyone on a fabulous employee campaign that reached beyond expectations.

Hotel Dieu Hospital is the ambulatory care teaching hospital for Kingston and Southeastern Ontario, providing expert care to more than 500,000 people in the region.  Our specialized services include outpatient pediatrics, ophthalmology, diabetes education, breast assessment, day surgery, urgent care and mental health programs.  Affiliated with Queen's University, we are partners within Kingston's university hospitals, delivering quality health care, leading innovative research and training the health care professionals of tomorrow.

Leading Care.  Changing Lives.

The $70-million Together We Can campaign is the largest and most important health care fundraising initiative in the history of Southeastern Ontario. Led by the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation, the joint fundraising arm for Hotel Dieu Hospital, Kingston General Hospital and Providence Care, the campaign will raise money for the redevelopment of our hospitals, the purchasing of equipment and the funding of medical research and staff education.

To find out more about giving opportunities or to make a donation call 613-549-5452 or toll-free 866-549-5452 or go online to www.kingstonhospitalsfoundation.ca.

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Contact: 

Mary Crawford                                                 Anne Rutherford
University Hospitals Kingston Foundation            Hotel Dieu Hospital
(613) 549-5452 ext. 5908                               (613) 544-3400 ext. 3380
mary.crawford@uhkf.ca                                     rutherfa@hdh.kari.net