A $100,000 donation by Homes by DeSantis to the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital (WLMH) Foundation has sent another strong single that the residents of West Niagara haven’t forgotten about their need for a new, larger hospital to serve their communities.
The most recent donation will be added to the $14 million that has already been raised over several years in anticipation of construction of the new hospital. The former Liberal government never came through on its promise to build a new hospital for the ever-expanding west Niagara area, deciding instead to stall plans for cost cutting purposes.
Now that local MPP Sam Oosterhoff is part of the majority PC government and not in opposition, the hope is progress will be made sooner rather than later. Oosterhoff and the three Mayors from West Niagara met with Health Minister Christine Elliott recently in Ottawa at the Association of Municipalities Ontario meeting. “We had a good meeting with Minster Elliott and we were very forthright in our message,” said the Niagara West MPP. “We explained the need and the passionate community support for the project and this latest donation is yet another example of that.”
During their meeting, Minister Elliott said she would like to tour the WLMH to see it firsthand. Oostehoff said his staff is working with the Minister’s to coordinate that visit as soon as possible.
Grimsby Regional Councillor Tony Quirk who has also been a staunch supporter for the new hospital to be built said, “Our community has always risen up to support our hospital and last Saturday was no exception. I know that the Region has a role to play in the new hospital initiative and I will continue to fight to make sure that we are at the table with the appropriate resources, be it financial or planning expertise.”
WLMH has been providing healthcare services to residents of West Niagara since 1946 in its present location and facility. The hospital has approximately 390 staff, 120 medical staff and 300 volunteers.
On average each year there are more than 25,000 individual visits to the Emergency Department, over 2,900 patients admitted to the hospital and WLMH is home to a Maternal Child program that is ranked as a top performer in provincial patient satisfaction surveys and 52 per cent of referrals are from outside West Niagara.
Physicians perform more than 3,700 surgeries of which over 80 per cent are outpatient.
The WLMH is operated by Hamilton Health Sciences which assumed governance and management in 2013 through amalgamation.
Kevin has spent over two decades as a public relations professional in a variety of sectors including professional sports, the arts, industry and healthcare. After tiring of the daily commute to Toronto he returned to Niagara and launched The Niagara Independent, an online news source published twice weekly.
He is a graduate of Brock University, Niagara College and the Richard Ivey School of Business. He was named one of Niagara’s 40 Under Forty in 2005.
Kevin is most proud of his twin daughters. He is also a triathlete and four-time Ironman finisher.
