A personal message from Dr. Eddie Chan, Physician Leader of Emergency and Dr. Barry Nathanson, Medical Director, Critical Care Services.
Here’s something you may find surprising.
If you’ve ever been to Southlake Regional Health Centre for any kind of medical care, you may be amazed to learn you benefited from the use of medical and diagnostic equipment that was purchased, not with government support, but from generous donations from our community.
Donor support funds beds, OR tables, ultrasound and ECG machines, IV pumps, just about every piece of equipment used in providing leading edge care.
We’ve always been grateful for the support of caring supporters. Since March 2020, with the world consumed by COVID-19, the support we receive from our donors has never been more important. Their generosity made it possible for Southlake to balance both our response to the pandemic and the ongoing urgent medical needs of our communities.
Because of our thoughtful supporters – caring people like you – we were prepared to care for our patients during one of the most challenging time in our hospital’s history.
And, today, I hope you’ll make a generous gift in support of our hospital. Your special donation will help purchase the vital equipment and technology the government doesn’t fund. It will help Southlake remain prepared for whatever comes our way.
To really understand the depth of our gratitude, we have to go back to the beginning of the pandemic, when we had our very first cases of COVID-19 at Southlake.
In those early days, many people in our communities were thinking, “phew, we’re not bad, just a few cases of the virus and only a couple of people hospitalized”. Inside the walls of Southlake however, the feeling was one of concern.
We were worried. At that time, we had no clear understanding of how the virus was being transmitted but we knew how deadly it was. Would we, as health care providers contract this deadly virus? Would we, especially those of us who are a bit older, even live to see the summer months? Would we bring the virus home to the people we loved most?
With time, we learned more about how the virus is transmitted and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) became part of their daily routine. It was in those early days when the full impact of donor support was keenly felt.
Thanks to the generosity of caring donors in our communities, we had the ability to purchase the PPE we needed. It quite literally saved us all.
Our donors also made a big impact on our ability to treat COVID-19 patients. At first, the global protocol was to put people on ventilators because they were becoming seriously ill early and preventative action needed to be taken. While the media was full of stories on the horror of shortages of ventilators and other intubation equipment, Southlake thankfully was not in that difficult position
With help from our communities, we were well equipped to meet the needs of our patients.
As the virus progressed through waves, we had success with more effective and less invasive forms of providing breathing support to patients. Again, thanks to funding provided by donors, Southlake was equipped with what was needed to care for the sickest COVID-19 patients.
At the same time, we continued to provide leading edge care to patients turning to us for other reasons. Even during a pandemic, people still have heart attacks, need cancer treatment or support from our Mental Health team. Babies are born, car crashes happen.
Together with thoughtful people like you, we’re here for every patient – no matter what may bring them through our doors.
Today, with the rollout of vaccinations going quickly in our communities, we are full of optimism for the future. Even so, we at Southlake remain ever-vigilant. Our patients – your family, friends and neighbours – expect and deserve for us to be prepared for any crisis. And, with caring supporters like you by our side, we always will be.
Please send your generous gift today. Click here to make a donation. With your support, you’ll play a vital role in providing the tools we need, the protection we need, the life-saving equipment we need to offer healthcare excellence close to home.
