Press Release
The Cardiovascular Surgery Program at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre got a significant boost early last week.
Announced this past summer by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the hospital has been given support to proceed with the development of a program to offer both vascular and cardiac surgery in Thunder Bay.
While the provincial government has committed to funding 90 percent of the construction costs associated with this program, the community must cover the remaining 10 percent of construction costs plus 100 percent of the capital equipment costs.
Leading the way with the community’s portion of the funding to this life- and limb-saving program is an organization that has established itself as a leader in health-care philanthropy with years of giving to support patients and families across the northwest.
“Tbaytel is happy to announce, on behalf of our over 400 employees, that the company will be donating $500,000 to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation in support of the Cardiovascular Surgery Program,” said Tbaytel president and CEO Dan Topatigh.
“Tbaytel is extremely proud to be providing such a significant gift to this much-needed, long-awaited program,” he noted.
“Having access to care and services in our own neighbourhood of Thunder Bay, and throughout Northwestern Ontario, is vitally important and partnerships are key to building what we need right here at home,” Topatigh stressed.
“Our region is one where a large percentage of the population faces serious medical issues,” said Dr. Mark Henderson, Executive Vice-President, Patient Services, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
“Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer in our region and our amputation rate is almost three times that of the rest of Ontario,” he noted.
“This is specifically prevalent in our indigenous community–meaning that local access to vascular surgery is critically important for our patients because they are losing limbs due to the lack of vascular surgery.”
Once in placed, Dr. Henderson said the program will serve roughly 1,000 patients annually, creating better access for urgent and emergent cardiac surgery, enhance regional trauma care, improve vascular access for patients needing dialysis, and decrease the use of amputations as the first line of treatment for vascular disease.
“Thanks to Tbaytel, we will be able to move ahead with the program to bring cardiovascular surgery services to our hospital and serve patients and families here locally,” he remarked.
“This gift is going to transform and save lives,” echoed Eric Zakrewski, president and CEO, True Grit Engineering and vice-chair of the forthcoming capital campaign for the Cardiovascular Surgery Program.
“We are exceptionally grateful to Tbaytel for providing their generosity and support of this program,” he said.
Zakrewski noted Tbaytel has been a part of the family of donors to the hospital for quite some time.
“Today, they’re actively ensuring that families across Northwestern Ontario can be together-before, during, and after surgery,” he remarked.
“Not only that, thousands of people in Northwestern Ontario will live longer, better lives thanks to the generosity they’ve shown today.”
