The first of a seven figure pledge to Belleville General Hospital was made on Wednesday.
Mayor Mitch Panciuk, on behalf of the City of Belleville, presented hospital representatives with the first of seven $125,000 cheques.
The support is part of an ongoing commitment by the city to ensure the community has access to a number of critically important projects identified by Quinte Health Care. These include a new 3D Mammography Unit within the advanced diagnostics department and replacement anesthesia machines to help support the hospital’s regional maternal child program.
The existing mammography machine was installed in 2010 and is 13 years old. The new machinery offers 3D capability and up to 40% greater invasive detection. Belleville General Hospital screens over 3,500 patients per year.
Over 1,400 babies are delivered per year from across the entire QHC catchment and BGH provides state of the art obstetrical, postpartum, pediatric and neonatal inpatient care. The new machines assist in the prevention of fetal distress.
“We believe these services are crucial and that this investment will be of great value to our community as a whole,” commented Mayor Panciuk.
The formal presentation comes at a crucial time as the hospital strives to address a backlog of patients requiring mammography exams delayed by the pandemic. Partial funds will also be directed towards new fetal monitoring systems in a maternity department that delivers over 1,400 babies annually.
Responding to the city’s generosity, Foundation Executive Director Steven Cook explained, “The importance of keeping up to date with new equipment at the hospital cannot be overstated. The support received by City Council will not only help save the lives of our older residents, it will also provide the best start to life for our youngest patients.”
The donation comes as momentum builds for the Foundation’s ‘Be Well’ campaign, with the organization hoping to raise more than $20 million over the next five years.
