Oct. 30, 2007/- The City of Belleville voted last night to make a pledge of $820,000 over three years to the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation to support the redevelopment of Kingston hospitals. Belleville is the third municipality in Southeastern Ontario to declare its support for redevelopment – the most important investment in health care in the Kingston region in a generation.

“We thank the City of Belleville for their generosity,” said Denise Cumming, Executive Director of the Foundation. “As their regional hospitals, we play an important part in the health care system for Belleville and all of Southeastern Ontario. This support will go a long way to improving access to key services that all of our people need and will benefit from. We’re pleased that the City of Belleville has recognized our need and hope their example will inspire other municipalities to do the same.”

The $820,000 pledge will be made over a three year period starting in 2012, after the City’s final pledge payment for redevelopment of Belleville General Hospital. The pledge to Kingston hospitals will support three projects at Kingston General Hospital that Belleville residents rely on for specialized care – the Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario, the Intensive Care Unit and Medical and Surgical beds.

Together, the university hospitals of Kingston support more than 450,000 patient visits each year. Nearly half of the patients served by Kingston hospitals reside outside of the City of Kingston. Last year Kingston hospitals handled more than 13,000 patient visits from residents of Belleville.

"City Council in Belleville clearly recognizes the importance of health centres to our citizens and consistently has taken a progressive approach to improving our health care system," said Stephen Hyndman, City of Belleville Chief Administrative Officer.

The Province has committed to pay for 90 per cent of eligible construction costs for redevelopment projects. The community is expected to contribute the remaining 10 per cent of the costs, as well as covering the entire cost of the equipment required. The community portion, known as the “local share”, will likely amount to an estimated $50 million or more.

The Foundation is looking for a total of nearly $25 million in support from area municipalities. The Township of Rideau Lakes made a pledge to hospital redevelopment in 2006 and the County of Hastings announced a pledge of
$654,000 last Thursday. Other municipalities have already been approached, including Kingston, Gananoque, Leeds and the Thousand Islands and Lennox and Addington.

On October 2nd, the Foundation made a request for support from the City of Kingston. The Foundation requested a $10 million pledge. The City was also asked for a grant equivalent to 50 per cent of the fees the City will receive from construction. The grant would be expected to be about $6 million.

A recent survey by COMPAS Research shows that a huge majority of people across Southeastern Ontario want their municipalities to support the redevelopment of the university hospitals of Kingston. Some 85 per cent agreed that all levels of government, including local government, should make health care a priority responsibility.

University Hospitals Kingston Foundation is the fundraising arm for Hotel Dieu Hospital, Kingston General Hospital and Providence Care. Created in 2005, the Foundation raises money for programs, equipment, education and research that benefit the 500,000 people in Kingston and Southeastern Ontario served by the three teaching hospitals. 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.