A funding boost for healthcare providers in Windsor-Essex.
Erie Shores Health Foundation (ESHF) recently granted over $1.3 million to Erie Shores HealthCare and The Hospice, Erie Shores Campus.
Officials say the grants represented a noteworthy outpour of support from members of the community committed to advancing healthcare close to home.
ESHF’s grant of $689,000 to The Hospice, Erie Shores Campus ensures residents and families will receive personalized, compassionate care, and funding totalling $650,000 was provided to Erie Shores HealthCare to purchase advanced medical equipment and vital technology for patient care.
Acquisitions included an Ultrasound, Surgical Table, Transfusion Medicine Main Analyzer, Physiological Monitor, PACs Monitors, Isolette and various types of care beds.
The funds were also invested towards attracting and supporting dedicated medical professionals.
At the ESHF Annual General Meeting, held back on June 22nd, Jeff Lewis was announced as the Board Chair of Erie Shores Health Foundation.
Lewis says financial support like this for their partners is key because everything that's needed to add equipment in the hospital needs to come from community donors.
"The government doesn't fund the capital purchases for the hospital, and on the hospice side, not all of the dollars that are needed to run hospice from an operations perspective are provided by the government," he continued. "So we have to raise money just to run the operations for the hospice also."
He says the hospital itself is getting old and they need to replace a lot of equipment in the near future, which will require much larger campaigns to raise money.
Lewis says it's important for the local community to have things they need close by, like the new MRI machine the hospital got back in December.
"If we can have something local that helps our community, helps the folks right here, the ones that don't want to have to travel all the way to Windsor for an MRI and hopefully get those wait times down so that they're respectable."
He says the recruitment of more doctors and healthcare staff is always an ongoing job.
"The more services that we have out this way in the county able to help our folks out here the better. If we have doctors that see an area out here that don't have the opportunity with some of the latest technology sometimes they'll be turned off by that. So when we get the latest technology it certainly helps to attract out in our region," he said.
Lewis says they have passionate people at Erie Shores Healthcare, and while they do have an aging building an equipment, the culture at the hospital is excellcent.
As they step into another year of caring, Lewis says the foundation is focused on making transformational investments in care close to home for both The Hospice, Erie Shores Campus and Erie Shores HealthCare.
Kristin Kennedy, President and CEO of Erie Shores HealthCare, says they're incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support from the community and donors, whose generosity has made a lasting impact on their ability to provide exceptional healthcare close to home.
"Your contributions have enabled us to make significant investments in advanced medical equipment and compassionate care, ensuring a brighter future for our hospital and the well-being of our community. Together, we are truly transforming the face of healthcare," she said.
- with files from AM800's The Shift with Patty Handysides