Kingston hospitals thank County for support

Prince Edward County’s financial support hospitals in Kingston was appreciated officially at the Committee of the Whole horseshoe Thursday afternoon.

In 2015, the number of visits by County residents to Kingston hospitals totalled 13,029 – including 1,997 to the Cancer Centre; 316 to emergency; 10,231 to outpatient clinics and 485 inpatient days.

Denise Cumming, president and CEO, and Shannon Coull, director of leadership philanthropy, University Hospitals Kingston Foundation thanked the County for its previous $502,000 pledge as the final installment will be made in the coming months to the ‘Together We Can Campaign’. The $65 million campaign to support equipment and needs in Kingston has reached $51.5 million to date.

“We thank the County and council for its generous support of our last campaign. Your pledge is making a signifianct difference,” said Cumming, a County resident among 24 who work at Kingston hospitals.

The two spoke of redevelopments at Hotel Dieu and Kingston General and noted Providence Care is set to open to patients in April, replacing St Mary’s on the Lake, with a focus on longer-term aging, mental health and rehabilitative care.

Cumming noted the local share for the next round of construction and investments in in excess of $120 million, yielding a provincial investment of more than $500 million. And while the goal of Thursday afternoon’s presentation was to update, she noted they will return to speak about funding for support in areas most relevant to needs of County residents.

She noted the County hospital’s role is vital for primary care while County residents who travel to Kingston hospitals are seeking highly specialized and critical care.

“Kingston serves the most ill and injured patients from across the region. KGH is also home of the cancer centre,” said Cumming. “Unfortunately, many of us have had to use these facilities.”

They also noted the connection as the academic hospitals for Queen’s University and are attracting world class clinical researchers.