The Medicine Hat Health Foundation was gifted $5 million by the Yuill Family Foundation Monday to improve local cardiac care, reducing the need to travel to the Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge. Bill Yuill (wearing glasses) and Dr. Sayeh Zielke (white blazer) are pictured during a short cheque presentation.--HANDOUT PHOTO
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
A $5-million donation that will improve cardiac health care in southeastern Alberta is the largest monetary gift the Medicine Hat Health Foundation has received, and was presented by the Yuill Family Foundation on Monday during a short presentation at the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital.
The donation, gifted by Bill and Elizabeth Yuill, will directly expand the access to both urgent and preventative cardiac services, allowing them to now be performed locally.
“This is very impactful,” explains Heather Bach, executive director, Medicine Hat Health Foundation. “We’re not at a place in our community to start bringing in heart surgeons by any means, but this is a step in the next direction for us in making sure our community has all the diagnostics.”
The funding will allow the hospital to purchase a state-of-the-art Echocardiography Lab and Cardiac CT scanner. This will reduce the need for patients from Medicine Hat to travel to the Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge, which also improve access for those in the southwest.
Additionally, the donation will allow for the purchase of specialized beds and equipment to treat critically ill patients in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.
“For patients, we’ll have all the tests, we know exactly what kind of situation they’re in so they can make the appropriate decision as to what next steps to take, or where to send them,” explains Bach, who says the local hospital has had entry level cardiac care prior to this milestone donation.
“Mr. Yuill is a community builder,” says Bach. “He and his family have been helping raise up our community since day one, and he continues to do it today.
“I think the beautiful thing is the legacy he’s leaving behind is in continuing to improve health care for our community.”
According to the foundation, the need for local care in the region for cardiovascular disease and related health issues is more than 25 per cent higher than the rest of the province.
“It’s very much the greatest need of our community right now,” says Bach. “The number (of patients) who come in and get hooked up to a cardiac monitor is probably very high.”
Led by Dr. Sayeh Zielke, chair of the Southern Alberta Cardiac Science Advisory Cabinet, the donation will help create the Southern Alberta Centre for Cardiac Excellence, a collaborative project driven by the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation, in partnership with AHS and local health services.
“Families will now have access to enhanced cardiac care right here in Medicine Hat,” said Dr. Zielke. “This generous gift allows us to respond more quickly to emergencies and support patients in their recovery at home, where they feel strongest.”
A $2-million portion of the donation is designated for the development of new community-based initiatives to prevent heart health issues. This funding will support the early detection of cardiovascular disease, as well as education and lifestyle support programs to help reduce the risk early on.
“Bill and Elizabeth understood that great cardiac care begins long before a crisis. This investment will help people live longer, healthier lives,” said Zielke.
“We were moved by the clarity of the vision and Dr. Zielke’s commitment to meaningful change,” said Bill Yuill, founder of the Yuill Family Foundation, which also built the Margery E. Yuill Cancer Centre in 2007 as a tribute to his mother, who was a nurse at the hospital and helped establish the Medicine Hat YMCA.
“Sometimes you get the chance to help start something that will matter for generations,” said Yuill. “We believe this is one of those moments.”
Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in Canada, according to federal government statistics, and approximately one in 12 adults over the age of 20 lives with a diagnosed heart disease.
