The “Families Helping Families” campaign of St. Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation is $10,000 richer as Madawaska Valley presented the final instalment of the township’s $50,000 contribution at the Feb. 5 Council meeting. Shown above at the presentation are: (L-R) Dr. Ray Dawes, Cllr. Ernie Peplinski, former Mayor John Hildebrandt, Mayor Kim Love, Cllr. Shelley Maika, Foundation Board Chair Darlene Sernoskie, Cllr. Carl Bromwich, Cllr. Elser Lee Archer, Cathy Pitts.
Foundation Executive Director Toni Lavigne-Conway thanked MV Township and discussed the impact that all donations to the “Families Helping Families” campaign have had on the patients. In Emergency Services alone, they were able to purchase a main X-ray machine and a portable X-ray machine. She said the price tag was “around $750,000.” It was a substantial but critical purchase because X-ray and bloodwork are the tests most often used in diagnosing any condition. She also said, “Almost five thousand X-rays have been done at our hospital from April 1st to the end of November.”
Lavigne-Conway then outlined items on the horizon for local healthcare that will further benefit the community, including:
- the re-development of Valley Manor
- a new Emergency Department
- installation of electronic hospital information systems to regionalize patient records
- continued significant growth of the hospice palliative care program
