‘Care Close to Home’ campaign kicks off with stretcher push

Riverside Foundation for Health Care is getting its “Care Close to Home” fundraising campaign rolling next month with a “stretcher push” from Rainy River to Fort Frances.
“We think this is a great opportunity for the whole district to show their support of the renovations at both the Emo Health Centre and La Verendrye hospital,” said Foundation director Teresa Hazel.
After a hearty pancake breakfast, the first team of “stretcher pushers” will leave the front lawn of the Rainy River Health Centre shortly after 7 a.m. on June 15.
Every two kilometres, the stretcher will be handed over to the next team, with plans to arrive at the Emo Legion around 7 p.m. for a reception.
Day two will start with a pancake breakfast in Emo, with more stretcher pusher teams then going along the highway to Fort Frances and raising awareness of the campaign.
The stretcher is slated to arrive at La Verendrye here late Friday afternoon.
Individuals, organizations, and service clubs from across the district are being encouraged to take part. Teams of six people are needed to push the stretcher for the two km, which should take about a half-hour to cover, said Hazel.
Teams can be drawn from businesses, organizations, family, and friends. An ideal number of teams would be 44, noted Hazel.
Call the campaign office at 274-4803 to register your team.
The purpose is to raise awareness of the Foundation’s current fundraising effort, announced Monday, in support of the two renovation projects.
The overall project costs are $8.3 million, with the campaign looking to raise the $3.5 million local share across Rainy River District.
Renovations at Emo hospital are to provide for long-term care while the work here will serve to redevelop the emergency department, out-patient clinics, operating rooms, day surgery, diagnostic imaging department, and patient reception area.
Hazel said the “Care Close to Home” campaign has been about a year in the making.
“This has been our main focus lately,” she noted. “While the Foundation continues to work to get other equipment for hospitals when it’s needed, these two major projects remain our focus.”