Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Press Release - Moonlight & Magic Gala Results

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 16, 2011

ANNUAL GALA MOST SUCCESSFUL IN FOUNDATION’S HISTORY

Richmond Hill, ON – York Central Hospital Foundation’s 24^th annual gala has set two records: one for the most guests in attendance and one for the highest revenue. The sold-out Moonlight & Magic themed-event was attended by more than 1,000 guests and raised in excess of $570,000.

“The event was our most successful yet and we’re so pleased with the results,” said Julie Fuda, Chair of the Moonlight & Magic Gala. “None of this would have been possible without the support of the community, donors, sponsors and our gala volunteers. Their gifts of time, talent and donations helped to make this event the best in our 24-year history.”

The event was held at Le Parc Markham and emceed by Ken Shaw, one of Canada’s most recognized news anchors. Violinist Greenville Pinto and singer Christopher Dallo entertained guests during the cocktail hour and over dinner, followed by the George St. Kitts Band. The gala featured a live and silent auction and raffle with a top prize of a diamond necklace and earring set, appraised at $22,750. For the second consecutive year, the event’s Presenting Sponsor was Bell.

“We are sincerely appreciative to each and every person who helped make this gala our most successful in the Foundation’s history,” said Fraser Nelson, Chair of York Central Hospital Foundation. “This year, the Foundation has been challenged to raise $5 million to help fund medical equipment and technology at York Central Hospital. The generosity and support we received from our community for the Moonlight & Magic Gala has helped us come closer to realizing this goal.”

All proceeds from this year’s event will help fund a standardized, state-of-the-art infusion pump system for York Central Hospital. The new pump system will increase patient safety by auto-programming medications, which in turn ensures the accurate dispensing of the right medications. Since the pumps are programmed to dispense the correct dosages, nurses and other staff caregivers will have more time to spend with their patients allowing for increased bedside attention and education. This extra one on-one time will help improve the overall care and patient experience at York Central Hospital.

“On behalf of everyone at York Central Hospital, I would like to extend our appreciation to the community for their generous support. This exciting event has increased awareness in the community and enabled the hospital to purchase urgently needed medical equipment,” said Altaf Stationwala, President and CEO, York Central Hospital.

The first Gala was held in 1988 and, since that time, the annual event has raised over $6 million for capital improvements and life-saving medical equipment in virtually every area of York Central Hospital. This includes a new Digital Mammography Unit for Breast Health, leading-edge surgical equipment, construction to triple the size of our Emergency Department, a state-of-the-art surgical sterilization unit and a Nuclear Medicine Camera with enhanced CT scanning abilities for York Central Hospital.

- 30 –

Media Contact:

Margo Sage-Arnold Alyshia Higgins

Manager, Special Events Coordinator, Stewardship & Communications

York Central Hospital Foundation York Central Hospital Foundation

(905) 883-1212 ext. 7803 (905) 883-1212 ext. 7810

msagearnold@yorkcentral.on.ca ahiggins@yorkcentral.on.ca

Monday, November 14, 2011

President's Corner - Gala Wrap Up

On Friday, November 4^th, a magical, record-breaking event took place: our 24^th annual gala.

The Moonlight & Magic themed-event, held at LeParc Markham, was filled with great music, delicious food, spectacular entertainment and a lot of inspirational support for our hospital, York Central.

Our gala broke not one, but two records this year: one for highest revenues at $571,000 and the other for the most guests in attendance. More than 1,000 guests, sponsors, volunteers and donors attended the sold-out event.

This year’s funds will go towards the purchase of a standardized, state-of-the-art infusion pump system for York Central Hospital. The new pump system increases patient safety by auto-programming medication dispensing. This allows nurses and other staff to provide more beside attention and education to our patients and their families. This, in turn, results in greater interaction and recovery planning, improving the overall patient experience. York Central Hospital is one of only three hospitals in the region that has this standardized pump system, which was a safety compliance rating of 99.6%.

The impact of this pump system are resounding: it frees up precious time for our staff to spend with their patients, it provides life-saving medications and pain relief to seven out of every 10 patients and importantly, one standardized pump system decreases the costs associated with having several systems throughout the hospital. It is through your generosity that this investment is possible and we are incredibly grateful.

As President & CEO of the Foundation, I’ve learned that as much as we try to inspire our donors, in fact, our donors are the ones who inspire us. It is so rewarding to see events like the Moonlight & Magic Gala come to life because of the generosity, support and dedication of volunteers, sponsors, donors and guests like each of you. We are especially thankful to Bell, who has been our generous Presenting Sponsor for the past two years.

An event of this magnitude takes hundreds of hours of planning from dedicated volunteers and donors. We are so fortunate to have such an incredible group of volunteers who have worked over the past year to ensure this gala’s success. Under the leadership of Gala Chair Julie Fuda, our volunteers have worked day and night, along with our Foundation staff, to collect auction items, set up the venue and ensure the finishing touches were in place. We cannot thank you, our volunteers and donors, enough for everything you have done for our Gala, and everything you continue to do moving forward.

York Central Hospital’s vision is to become the “finest community hospital in Canada”, and through your incredible generosity, we are well on our way to realizing this goal – thank you!

We sincerely appreciate your ongoing support of our hospital. Your gifts of time, talent and donations are truly making a difference in the lives of our grateful patients.

Wishing you the best of health,

Bill Leacy

President & CEO

World Diabetes Day - November 14, 2011

November 14 is World Diabetes Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness of and funds for this disease. More than 9 million Canadians are affected by diabetes and thousands are right here in our region.

To help patients in our community manage this disease, York Central Hospital established a Diabetes Education Centre in 1992.

The goal of the centre is to provide adult pregnancy induced (gestational) and pre-diabetes patients, with the tools, support and education they need to self-manage their disease. Although the goal for each patient is the same, the way they get there can vary.

“Every patient is treated independently,” said Gillian Burley RN, one of 11 Diabetes Educators working in the centre. “Each patient’s program is tailored to their specific needs.”

The Diabetes Education Centre is staffed with Registered Nurses, Registered Dietitians, a coordinator and a visiting Chiropodist. All of the Educators are experts in diabetes education.

Patients can self-refer or can be referred to the centre by a health care provider. The centre offers comprehensive diabetes care including individual initial assessments with regular follow-ups to assist with monitoring and self management of blood sugars, medication adjustment, diet education, insulin pump therapy and a foot care clinic. More than 700 patients were seen through the centre last month alone.

In order to meet the needs of our diverse diabetes patients, the Diabetes Education Centre staff offers education in a variety of languages including English, French, Cantonese, Mandarin, Italian, Farsi, Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi. Cooking classes are also part of the program and include sessions tailored towards several ethnic groups and taste preferences.

The Diabetes Education Centre is an important part of our hospital services and requires the support of our community.

Your generosity in helping to support this program will help ensure this dedicated team of diabetes experts has the equipment and technology they need to continue serving this specialized patient population.

To find out how you can support this program, please contact the Foundation office at 905-883-2032 or donate securely online at http://yorkcentral.on.ca/donate.htm.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Press Release: Ken Shaw To Emcee Sold-Out Gala Tonight

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 4, 2011

KEN SHAW TO EMCEE SOLD-OUT GALA

Richmond Hill, ON – York Central Hospital Foundation’s 24^th annual gala is being emceed by Ken Shaw, one of Canada’s most recognized news anchors. More than 1,000 guests and volunteers are expected to attend the sold-out Moonlight & Magic themed event tonight.

“Over the past 12 months, the gala volunteers have dedicated hundreds of hours to planning this event and we’re thrilled the hard work has paid off,” said Julia Fuda, Chair of the Moonlight & Magic Gala. “We’re sincerely appreciative to everyone who has helped make the Moonlight & Magic Gala possible and we’re looking forward to our most successful event yet!”

The event is being held at Le Parc Markham tonight. Cocktails begin at 6 p.m. and dinner will be served at 8 p.m. Violinist Greenville Pinto will entertain guests during the cocktail hour, followed by the George St. Kitts Band. The gala features a live and silent auction and raffle with a top prize of a diamond necklace and earring set at an appraised value of $22,750. For the second consecutive year, the event’s Presenting Sponsor is Bell.

This year’s goal is to raise $600,000 towards the purchase of a standardized, state-of-the-art infusion pump system for York Central Hospital. This investment in a new pump system will increase patient safety by auto-programming medications, which in turn ensures the accurate dispensing of the right medications. Since the pumps are programmed to dispense the correct dosages, nurses and other staff caregivers will have more time to spend with their patients allowing for increased bedside attention and education. This extra one on-one time will help improve the overall care and patient experience at York Central Hospital.

The first Gala was held in 1988 and, since that time, the annual event has raised over $5.5 million for capital improvements and life-saving medical equipment in virtually every area of York Central Hospital. This includes a new Digital Mammography Unit for Breast Health, leading-edge surgical equipment, construction to triple the size of our Emergency Department, a state-of-the-art surgical sterilization unit and a Nuclear Medicine Camera with enhanced CT scanning abilities for York Central Hospital.

- 30 -

Media Contacts:

Margo Sage-Arnold

Manager, Special Events

York Central Hospital Foundation

(905) 883-1212 ext. 7803

msagearnold@yorkcentral.on.ca

Alyshia Higgins

Coordinator, Stewardship & Communications