Submitted by the Huntsville Hospital Foundation
The CMA Foundation’s COVID-19 Community Hospital Fund granted $100,000 to Huntsville Hospital Foundation as part of its COVID-19 relief initiative to support those on the frontline of this pandemic.
The funds announced yesterday are being used to purchase:
Automated Dispensing Unit
These automated machines are a crucial part of medication management, accordance with our Ontario College of Pharmacy standards as well as maintaining our ‘Exemplary’ status with Accreditation Canada. The ADU create a safer, smarter process for getting the right drug, to the right patient, in a faster more efficient way. These units increase medication safety and security through metal locking lid drawers with features like barcoded labels and patient profiles interfaced with pharmacy software. The ADU also increase pharmacy inventory workflow.
Education Training Room
Educational Training room will provide a dedicated space for hospital staff training.
Professional Flex Space
Additional space was needed in the hospital to accommodate COVID-19 safety requirements for physical distancing. Workspaces shared by various staff, such as social workers, patient flow navigators and dieticians, were no long safe to use. Flexible space will give them a private space to do patient care work on behalf of their patients and patients’ families.
Huntsville Hospital Foundation executive director, Katherine Craine states, “We are very fortunate to have CMA provide this generous opportunity at this crucial time. The funding will help greatly in the physical changes that need to be made in the hospital. The pandemic has brought about very challenging circumstances for our hospital and the impact of this major grant will help to alleviate some of those challenges. Thank you to the CMA Foundation!”
The CMA Foundation announced the COVID-19 Community Hospital Fund as part of its commitment to provide COVID-19 relief. The $5 million fund supports hospitals across Canada with fewer than 100 beds to meet their evolving needs with activities, equipment and training that enhance staff wellness, improve access to care and help prepare for future pandemics.
“I am inspired every day by the dedication of physicians, health care providers and all hospital workers as they continue to confront the COVID-19 pandemic head-on,” says Allison Seymour, CMA Foundation president. “We know these are extraordinary times that require extraordinary support. From managing evolving health care needs to address changes in your community, to ensuring the proper equipment and training for your staff, our hope is that these funds will have a positive impact as you continue to navigate the challenges of the pandemic.”
The CMA Foundation is the charitable arm of the Canadian Medical Association and provides impactful charitable giving that furthers excellence in health care. To date, the foundation has committed more than $30 million in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Huntsville Hospital Foundation is a fundraising organization dedicated to improving healthcare services for residents of Muskoka and East Parry Sound. A registered charity since 1984, its mandate is to provide ongoing capital and education resources for Huntsville District Memorial Hospital. This will ensure our hospital and medical professionals have the technology and equipment they require to provide exceptional care. Find out more about the Foundation by visiting www.huntsvillehospitalfoundation.ca
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Jim Sinclair says
I am not familiar with the internal workings or requirements of a public foundation like this one.
So saying, is it at all feasible for the Hospital Foundation to make public on a monthly basis a financial report for the people like me and others to see where the money is going, and the progress of the fund raising of the day?
I see a grant for Covid relief, and a purchase of a medicine dispenser, all part and parcel of the HHF efforts?
Id this unit doing any fund raising for a new hospital in Huntsville? Is this on the desk as a part of their mandate? Of late, there has been no mention of donations from Service Clubs and other fundraising efforts from in and around the community? What is the total average amount raised – on average.
I realize, as much as anyone else, the pandemic has brought many changes we were not familiar with, however it would be nice to see if the funding work of the Foundation justifies its itself? I am reading a lot of obituaries of late and I seldom see invites asking forMemorial donations to go to the building fund. I hope people don’t take exception to this as it is not intended to criticize in any way.
Paul Whillans says
Jim Sinclair: Very bare bones outline of the Huntsville Hospital Foundations Revenues and Expenditures can by found at the Government of Canada’s “List of Charities” site.
From their T3015 filing, in 2019, the Huntsville Hospital Foundation (officially known as Huntsville District Memorial Hospital Foundation) had revenues of $4,318,535.
In 2019, the Foundation spent $3,316,037. The charity transferred $2,361,553 (71.61% of all expenditures) to the hospital (Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare). Another $38,572 (1.16%) was spent on fund raising efforts. Compensation, in 2019, amounted to $360,147 (8.3%). And another $902,812 (27.23%), in expenditures was categorized as unspecified “other”.
I realize that this doesn’t answer your specific question. But perhaps it will give a broad flavour of the finances of the Foundation
Jim Sinclair says
Thanks Paul, That’s a start anyways! Anyone else out there that would care to make a comment? Information that falls on the detail side of ‘bare bones; and Government filings , I think, would be interesting for people considering a donation? – or just curious?
Just to get back to my first missive, could we have an explicit accounting on a regular basis without too much hassle?
Perhaps if someone could see that their donations were being used well, there would be more people inclined to donate for things near and dear to their hearts.
One last question: Isn’t a foundation mandated to spend only the interest earned on the Foundations assets?
Again, I am not casting any aspersions, just got too much time on my hands and no way to fight the covid conditons running through my noggin.