The largest health care fundraising campaign in the history of Southeastern Ontario was launched June 11 at Springer Market Square in Downtown Kingston. The Together We Can campaign will raise money for hospital redevelopment, equipment, research, and staff education at all three university hospitals of Kingston – Hotel Dieu Hospital, Kingston General Hospital and Providence Care.

The provincial government has agreed to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the redevelopment of the hospitals – the biggest change in health care in Southeastern Ontario in a generation. The province will pay for 90 per cent of the eligible redevelopment construction costs at the three hospitals, if the community will pay the remaining 10 per cent plus the cost of the equipment for those facilities.

Redevelopment will have an impact across the region. The three hospitals serve more than 500,000 people in Southeastern Ontario. About half of all visits to the hospitals come from people outside Kingston.

The leaders of the three hospitals, the Foundation and the campaign thanked the many donors who have already contributed to Together We Can. These include the municipalities of Belleville, Quinte West, Brockville, Prince Edward County, County of Hastings, County of Frontenac, County of Lennox and Addington and the Township of Rideau Lakes. The biggest donor to the campaign to date has been the City of Kingston.

Together We Can will run at least until 2011.