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beingwell magazine Summer 2007
The gap between available government funding and the price tag to ensure accessible healthcare is wide, and growing wider. Dramatic population growth, increasingly sophisticated technologies and government funding cutbacks are only three contributors to the growing need for community support of our hospitals to fill that gap.As a regional health centre, Southlake’s challenges are further compounded by a growing service area (for example, Southlake’s regional cardiac program serves all of York Region, Simcoe County, the Region of Muskoka and part of Dufferin County) and by the complexity of its caseload — Southlake has the highest proportion of complex patient cases of any non-teaching or community hospital in Ontario. The good news is Southlake continues to emerge as a Canadian health care leader, pioneering new procedures not even found in downtown teaching hospitals. The better news is that our community is so incredibly responsive to Southlake’s requests for support. Year after year, Southlake donors demonstrate their unwavering commitment to a shared vision of high-quality, accessible health care for our community. With these gifts, we are able to purchase cutting-edge equipment to better diagnose, monitor and treat our patients; we can provide education programs for our staff and physicians to ensure we are always on the forefront of what is new in health care; and we are able to expand both our programs and buildings to better respond to the growing demand for more life-saving services.
Here are only a few examples of how these recent donations had the power to make miracles happen at Southlake:When it comes to most illnesses, early diagnosis is key. Imaging technologies, such as the CT scanner, help diagnose illnesses while still in the early stages and most responsive to treatment. Donations to Southlake Foundation helped to purchase a second CT scanner, and supported the renovation and expansion of the CT suite, increasing the capacity for more patients to be seen. Thanks to one generous donor, cardiac software will be purchased for the two new 64-slice CT scanners to provide access to cardiac CT studies, allowing for an enhanced diagnostic and evaluative tool for coronary artery disease.
Another generous gift will allow for the purchase of a flow cytometer, an important component of the new pathology laboratory and part of the Regional Cancer Centre at Southlake. This equipment helps ensure that cancer patients have access to cutting edge diagnostic services close to home. Donors also made possible advanced technology in Southlake’s fracture clinic. The recent acquisition of a digital diagnostic x-ray system constitutes another logical step towards a ‘filmless’ environment, providing excellent image quality, improved ergonomics for the technical staff operating the equipment, and the major benefit, reduced radiation dose. Continuous learning ensures Southlake staff and physicians remain at the leading edge of new knowledge and we are fortunate that several generous scholarships have been established to support the goal of higher education. Almost $21,000 in scholarships was awarded to allied health professionals and nursing staff in 2006/2007.Does your donation make a difference? You bet: Timely and more accurate diagnoses; More patients being treated; State-of-the-art equipment; Staff and physicians at the forefront of the latest knowledge.
And there’s more.
Every penny of your donation stays in your community, to serve your neighbours, friends and family members. Further, we strive to maintain your trust by keeping our administrative costs below the industry standard of 35 cents. In 2006, our cost per dollar raised was 24 cents, based on a 3 year average.