Foundation report: Close to Home Campaign kick off and 2018 in review

It’s been an exciting time at St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation over the past year. In 2018, donors like you helped us raise $8.2 million in support of St. Paul’s Hospital and the Close to Home Campaign for Hospice and End-of-Life Care.

Thanks to your support, we were able to fund urgently needed medical equipment patient comfort care items, staff professional development, and holistic care at St Paul’s Hospital. 

Your support helped raise funds for a Pyxis Automated Pharmacy Dispensing System, which puts medication and patient information in one place, helping health care professionals dispense medications more safely and efficiently. We were also able to purchase new equipment for the Ear Nose and Throat Ambulatory Clinic, including microscopes, new endoscopy tools and a digital stroboscope. 

Thanks to the Gormley Gathering and other donor support, we continue to support the Leslie and Irene Dubé Urology Centre of Health by supporting a Physician Fellowship and the annual Urology Symposium.

We kicked off the Close to Home Campaign at the end of January with the largest donation we’ve ever received — $6 million from an anonymous donor. This astounding donation will support the $20 million campaign that includes building the first free-standing hospice in Saskatoon.

This exciting campaign will help fund upgrades to the Palliative Care Unit and support the creation of the Hospice at Glengarda. With your support, the Glengarda Residence at 301 Hilliard Street will be renovated and 2,400 square feet will be added to create a hospice with 24-hour medical care in an environment that feels like home. The campaign will also provide two endowments to support bereavement care, spiritual care and the healing arts both in the hospice and throughout the community.

It has warmed my heart to see the generosity of donors who have supported the Close to Home Campaign so far and we look forward to sharing more updates with you throughout the year as the campaign unfolds.

Bruce Acton, SPH Foundation CEO