Barry’s Bay – The largest project ever undertaken by the St. Francis Memorial Hospital in over half a century is succeeding with flying colours and continues to thrive thanks to the generous support of the community.

St. Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation (SFVHF) officials announced on October 10 that their Growing Together ER campaign was well on its way to meeting its $2.7 million goal after having raised 85 percent of the total in a quiet campaign.

The redevelopment project will cost a total of $20.4 million, with the community share set at $2.7 million, 10 percent of the total for bricks and mortar and an additional $1 million for furnishings and equipment.

Over a dozen people gathered at the hospital grounds the following Thursday (Oct. 17) to officially launch an ambitious new campaign aiming to fund the remainder of the project.

SFVHF Board Chair, Sheryl Reid, thanked the community for its generous support and announced the new Growing Together ER Lottery to an enthusiastic crowd.

“St. Francis Memorial Hospital’s emergency department opened in 1987, 37 years ago. It was designed for the needs back in the day to serve 5,300 patients annually,” she said. “Today, our same emergency department has almost doubled its flow of patients to more than 11,000 per year.”

Beginning in the spring of 2025, the hospital’s emergency department and ambulatory care clinic will undergo extensive renovations and redevelopment to address the current challenges to privacy, confidentiality, infection control and occupational health and safety.

She highlighted the three early-bird prizes and one main grand prize on display for spectators before passing the podium over to Foundation Executive Director Erin Gienow.

“To help our local hospital get to its goal, on behalf of the foundation, we would like to announce our first-ever Growing Together Lottery,” she said.

The lottery prizes include a 2024 Toyota Rav 4 Hybrid valued at over $60,000, a draw for a set of Yeti gear worth $1,500 on Nov. 8; $1,000 in cash on Nov. 22, and a $2,000 Apple gift card on Dec. 6. Tickets for the lottery are $100 each and are now available. The winner of the grand prize will also have an option to take $44,000 in cash instead of the vehicle.

All proceeds generated from the lottery will go to the St. Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation’s Growing Together Campaign for Emergency Department and Ambulatory Care Unit Redevelopment.

Ms. Gienow thanked the partners and sponsors who made the lottery possible, including Jim Lapointe and Mike Douglas on behalf of Petawawa Toyota, Dean Felhaber on behalf of Ben Hokum and Sons, Mad Outdoors and North American Sawmills Machinery.

Ms. Gienow then introduced Mr. Douglas and Mr. Felhaber to the podium to tell listeners why they supported the cause by co-sharing in the cost of the vehicle and donating it as the grand prize. 

“This is the first time we’ve partnered with someone on a car giveaway,” Mr. Douglas said. “Dean’s thoughts when I phoned him were, ‘Hey, if we pay for the car, 100 percent of the ticket sales stay with the foundation.’ Here’s Dean.”

Mr. Felhaber said Ben Hokum and Son has been in the community since 1956.

“We have over 100 employees, and many of them are drawn from the Barry’s Bay-Killaloe area as you know,” he said. “So, the hospital has been integral not only to the community but our company.”

He said the company was happy to help out adding he is looking forward to seeing a new emergency department.

“I have to mention as well, 1972 is the year I was born, and I was born in this building here, so this hospital has a very special place in my heart,” he said.

The new addition to St. Francis Memorial Hospital will be 6,000 square feet, according to Chief Operating Officer Greg McLeod.

“The clinical staffing and the number of rooms stay the same, but it will have private rooms, and they’ll be specific rooms for specific needs,” he explained.

He gave examples like dedicated spaces for trauma, procedures, decontamination, and family/quiet rooms.

“We’ll also use a sub-waiting room rather than patients requiring to wait in a bed,” he said. “We’ll have a different flow of the ED which will be more efficient and beneficial to patients.”

Mr. McLeod said the new ambulance garage will offload patients indoors, making a huge difference in winter and inclement weather.

He said the hospital is taking a few steps in preparation for the new addition, like renovating the diagnostic imaging department to create a new corridor and building a temporary heliport since contractors will occupy the existing helipad during construction.

“We really designed this for our needs,” he said. “We realized this is going to be our hospital for decades to come so we’ve really planned out what we see in terms of staffing and procedural things.”

He said another main benefit of the new addition was increased staff visibility, since as a smaller hospital, St. Francis staff need to be able to monitor all patients simultaneously.

“Presently, they’re having to even look around a corner, so this is key,” he said.

“It’s very much designed in part with not only our staff members but we have a patient and family advisory committee and they were very involved in terms of design and layout.

“It’s a much-needed change to bring it up to modern standards. It’s going to be great. We are very passionate about it.”

He said the hospital is busy throughout all four seasons of the year and the updates ensure it will last for decades and stand the test of time.

“It’s a change in the healthcare landscape and to make sure we have this right here in our backyard is really important,” he said.

The SFVHF also fundraises for its three healthcare partners, including the St. Francis Memorial Hospital, Madawaska Valley Hospice and Palliative Care and the Valley Manor Long-Term Care Home. Tickets can be purchased online at www.sfvhlottery.ca or from local vendors.