THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay 50/50 is turning over $1 million to the Our Hearts at Home campaign aimed at bringing cardiovascular surgery to Thunder Bay.
The capital campaign, originally set at $14 million, has grown to $16 million, but Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation president and CEO Glenn Craig on Thursday said the pandemic has not only pushed back the timeline, it’s also increased the cost.
It’s why a donation like the latest $1 million contribution, matching one made two years ago by the Paterson Foundation, is so important.
“We’re really working hard to bring cardiac surgery and full vascular surgery to Thunder Bay. As you can appreciate, the last few years have had costs going up, so we need as much money as we can to make that a reality,” Craig said.
“A million-dollar commitment from the 50/50 is beyond our wildest dreams.”
Craig said prior to the pandemic they had a pretty firm idea of what they needed to raise to make cardiovascular surgery a reality, a project buoyed last summer by a $5.2-million commitment from the provincial Conservative government.
“The pandemic, like many things, has thrown a little bit of chaos in that, not only in timing but the eventual cost. This is going to be helping to fill that gap. We’re not exactly sure how big that gap is, but it’s going to be there.”
Craig added the province also has other health-care priorities at the moment, with the Omicron variant still having an impact on hospitalizations and other health-care concerns, which makes it tough to pinpoint a date for surgery to begin.
“We’re working with the ministry, but I’m sure you can appreciate the Ministry of Health has other things on their mind these days,” Craig said. “They’ve got to try to get through the pandemic and there’s a huge backlog of service and all that.”
The 50/50 draw continues to be a boon for the Foundation, which has put most of its traditional events on hold for the past two years.
The jackpot total for 13 draws is $9.8 million and counting, with the hospital receiving half that amount, minus expenses, which equate to about 10 percentage points.
The current jackpot stands at $426,495, with two weeks to go before ticket sales are cut off at 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 24.
Craig said Northwestern Ontario desperately needs cardiovascular surgery capabilities at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
“Northwestern Ontario has the highest rates of cardiovascular disease, amputation, and other cardiac- and vascular-related health issues, plus we’re the only major city in Ontario where you have to drive for more than a day to access cardiovascular surgery services – so for patients in this region, bringing these services here is really a matter of life or death.”
Having the option for surgery in the same city, or within the same region, is paramount, said Foundation board chair Parker Jones.
“I know how difficult it can be to travel outside the region for care. It’s difficult for the patients, their families, and the healthcare system to coordinate care … This will help fund a full cardiac program here in Thunder Bay, which includes cardiovascular surgery, in addition to the existing services we already have, like angioplasty and cardiology,” Jones said.
