News

Meet April and Family Teacher April Chaulk and her husband Brockk had been waiting nine long months for their first child to arrive. The day came last year when little Baxter joined them in the Maternal Child Care Unit at the Prince County Hospital. At first, all seemed fine. This should have been the most joyous moment of April’s life. “Shortly after Baxter was born, he was placed on my chest for about 30 minutes and then I started to feel extremely weak and the nurse came and checked and I had hemorrhaged very, very badly.” April was rushed to surgery to investigate the source of her bleeding. “I remember looking at my husband and Baxter, he was under the lights.” Baxter needed some time in the Infant Warmer (included in each of the private birthing suites), he also had a bit of jaundice that could be cleared up with UV lights, if needed (it wasn’t). “I remember leaving him and seven nurses rolled me down to the OR. I opened my eyes part way through and looked at the nurse and said, ‘am I going to be okay?’ and she said ‘We are going to get you back to your baby.’ At that … View full news story.
Walking into the Credit Union Place on September 3rd was heartwarming. It was refreshing to join our friends and neighbours once again with the shared purpose of ensuring a bright future for patients at PCH. To watch as approximately 1000 community members gathered to celebrate their hospital was inspiring. As we began to welcome speakers and guests, the mood was jubilant. And though we knew several high-profile gifts were coming to the stage, we weren’t prepared for so many surprises. Mr. Robert Irving arrived with one such gift – a $250,000 cheque!The auction itself also had a banner year, raising $83,900. This great success was due in part to the last-minute tripling of an auction item. With auction prize donors Danny and Martie Murphy on hand, auctioneer Allison Smith secured their consent to offer not one, but three of their famous “Dinner at Gingerwood” packages – meaning each of our top three bidders walked away with dinner for 18 at the Murphy estate. Approaching this 14th event, organizer and financier Warren Ellis had a grand total in mind, a long shot at $2.5 million in cash and future pledges. As the night neared its end and the dollars were tallied, … View full news story.
Vital Signs Appeal 2022 With the recent mailing of our annual Vital Signs appeal, our fundraising year is officially underway. Chief amongst the essential, life-saving medical equipment to be replaced are the hospital’s three Ultrasound machines. At $525,000, the units make up a significant portion of the $2,391,810 list of greatest needs for patient care. “Most people would recognize this Ultrasound technology for its use in obstetrical exams at all stages of pregnancy, but ultrasound is used for many things at PCH each day ranging from aneurysm detection to locating gallstones, blood clots, breast exams and vascular studies,” says Meaghan Noye, PCH Ultrasound Coordinator. “We are VERY excited to be able to get new machines! The machines that we will be getting are amazing! We will be getting some new imaging packages that allows us to expand the scope of exams that we currently perform. We will still be able to perform all exams we currently offer and when trained on the new machine capabilities, be able to offer additional information to physicians. Image quality is greatly improved on the new machines as well, which allows us to see more while improving patient comfort.” “Ultrasound can be a window into a patient’s diagnosis,” said … View full news story.
Meet Dayla and Janelle Dayla just didn’t seem like herself. She was never a colicky 13 month old, but she had been out of sorts lately. Her mother, Janelle Gallant, chalked it up to a reaction to her recent one year inoculations. But, as the days stretched to weeks, she began to worry. That’s when Janelle took little Dayla to Western Hospital where she received blood work. Finding nothing of great concern, Janelle next visited her pediatrician who did an exam and then arranged an Ultrasound to see if the source of Dayla’s discomfort could be found. That was when every mother’s worst fear came true. It was Christmas-time, they had just put their tree up when she had that first Ultrasound. Later that day they heard from her pediatrician who told them the Ultrasound revealed a 14 cm tumour in her belly. When you consider that the average one year old girl is only 74 cms tall (29 inches) the diagnosis becomes even more unsettling. Dayla was immediately taken to the IWK where she received a major 11 hour surgery (removing one adrenal gland) followed by five rounds of chemotherapy. She also received a double bone marrow transplant in Toronto along with immunotherapy … View full news story.
2021 Annual Meeting The Prince County Hospital Foundation’s Annual Meeting for 2021 was recorded on April 25th, 2022. In this video, you will find reports from our 2021 President, Rick Kennedy, PCH’s Administrator, Paul Young, our Treasurer’s Report from Vice President Gordon MacFarlane on behalf of Treasurer Les MacLean, as well as the president of the Youth Who Care, Anna Smith, and the PCH Auxiliary’s Betty Robertson. Interested parties can pick up a copy of our annual report at the PCH Foundation office or at the following link: /2021-annual-report-and-2022-spring-newsletter/ Audited financial statements are available upon request that the PCH Foundation office in the hospital lobby. Annual Meeting Video link: https://youtu.be/7lG5QQWQvGY(Music by bensound.com)
2021 Annual Report and 2022 Spring Newsletter
Vital Signs 2021 Results The Board of Directors and Staff of the Prince County Hospital Foundation are pleased to announce the results of the 2021 Vital Signs annual appeal supporting medical equipment at PCH. Thanks to the overwhelming support of community donors and businesses Island-wide, the PCH Foundation’s goal of $1.788 million has been exceeded. “This is wonderful news for patients and staff at PCH,” says Rick Kennedy, president of the Foundation’s volunteer board of directors. “This means our hospital will be able to purchase every single item on the 2021 greatest needs list for patient care. It will ensure the nurses, physicians and staff will have the best tools at their disposal when time matters most. We continue to be humbled by the generosity of Islanders. Watching fundraisers like Grass Roots and Cowboy Boots, Lights for Life, our mailing campaigns and the many community partner events continue to reach new heights year upon year is heartening, especially in such trying times. It speaks to the value the Island community places on this hospital.” Chief among the advancements that will be bought to PCH as the result of this campaign is the replacement of the Digital Mammography Machine which was the first of its … View full news story.
Lights for Life Shows 2021 Though we are not able to host a large community gathering, nightly Lights for Life shows will once again be running from December 3-31st! Drive-In Showtimes: 7 PM & 8 PM nightly (lights will still be on before and after shows). Tune in to 98.5 FM and enjoy from your car! Please park far back in the parking lot so you can see the entire show! Lights for Life books – available late afternoon, Friday Dec. 3 – newspaper box by PCH entry, next to the Canada Post box After the show, check out Downtown Lights for Life, our expansion on Water Street (near the Shipyard). Thank you to our partners Downtown Summerside and the The City of Summerside for helping to bring this area to life. Details and donations at pchcare.com Thank you to our amazing sponsors: Presenting Sponsors Credit Unions (Consolidated Credit Union, Provincial Credit Union – Malpeque Bay, Tignish, Evangeline) Gold Sponsors: MBS Radio (102.1 SPUD FM, 95.1 FM CFCY, Q93FM) PEI Mutual Insurance Company Saltwire Network (Journal Pioneer and The Guardian Silver Sponsor Canadian Tire – Summerside #lfl2021 #pei
Lights for Life 2021 The 27th annual Lights for Life appeal for the Prince County Hospital Foundation is now underway. During November, donations are made in honour and in memory of loved ones with dedications gathered in a keepsake book that is distributed at the hospital in December. All donations support the purchase of much needed medical equipment for patient care at PCH. Each donation has a corresponding light or display that, when combined, create the largest holiday light show on PEI. Nightly shows choreographed to music will begin on December 3rd running at 7pm and 8pm until month end. “Last year the nightly shows were added to take the place of our large community gathering,” says Heather Matheson PCH Foundation’s Managing Director. “These shows proved quite popular with our donors and the community so we decided to continue this new tradition in 2021 until such time that large gatherings are safe on hospital grounds.” When attending the shows, patrons are asked to park far back in the parking lot and tune into 98.5 FM to enjoy the shows. In 2020, to expand Lights for Life and spread cheer through the city, the PCH Foundation partnered with Downtown Summerside for “Downtown Lights for Life” … View full news story.
Lights for Life: Meet Susan and Harleigh MacKay We love seeing old friends come to PCH for a visit this time of year. We had the opportunity to visit with Susan Mackay when she came by PCH to make her annual Lights for Life dedication. Susan and husband Harleigh have been making gifts to Lights for Life since the very beginning in 1995. Some gifts have been to honour their grandchildren while other donations have been made in memory of loved ones they’d lost including Susan’s mother Bessie, sister Barbara, father George and father-in-law John. “Lights for Life is always a wonderful way to start off the Christmas season for us. It has become a tradition,” said Susan. Friends of PCH would likely know Susan from her many years as a nurse here at the hospital. But you may not know that Susan has also been a longtime Lights for Life committee member, staff choir conductor, and former honourary chairperson; helping to guide the event to what it has become. “I became involved in Lights for Life because PCH has always been a very important part of my life” Susan continued. “I was always so proud to say I was a RN at PCH and it was a … View full news story.
Caring Connections: Autumn 2021 The autumn edition of the Prince County Hospital Foundation’s newsletter. This issue features stories on Grass Roots and Cowboy Boots, the revamped X-Ray Room, and a feature story on the breast cancer journey of Nancy Key.
Meet Claudette Claudette Theriault is a planner. She likes to know exactly what she is doing and when. But, there is no way to plan for breast cancer. In the late nineties, Claudette found a lump the size of a grape; it was Stage Three Breast Cancer. She had a lumpectomy followed by radiation in New Brunswick (there was no radiation on PEI at that time) and then six months of chemotherapy at the old PCH on Beattie Avenue.Every spring since then she’s gotten a mammogram. Each time her appointment came around, she was nervous her cancer had returned but knew that it was better to know than not. “It’s always a period that I’m anxious,” Claudette told us in a recent interview at PCH. “I was always afraid that I would get it again. You just wait, wait, wait for your results.”Last year the day came. Claudette’s annual mammogram was with technologist, Amy Murphy. “Amy was thorough. I thought, ‘If I have ANYTHING, she’s going to find it.’ I left there with confidence that if there was anything at all, that she would have found it. She was so thorough, compassionate, caring, and gentle.” Amy was new in her role and … View full news story.
GRASS ROOTS AND COWBOY BOOTS 2021 2021 MEAL PICK UP INFO: Click Here GRASS ROOTS AND COWBOY BOOTS 2021: Grass Roots Drive Thru Dinner and Jeep Draw aims to help the PCH Foundation with its goal of raising $1.788 million for medical equipment in 2021.The Ellis family through Summerside Chrysler Dodge will once again be donating a Jeep Wrangler Sport! In 2021 your ticket purchase will not only give you the chance to win this beautiful Jeep, but it also entitles you to a take-out meal to be picked up at the Credit Union Place in Summerside on September 4th. None of this would be possible without the continued support of the Ellis family – Warren, Marlene and their sons Josh and Brody, as well as their many friends and business associates. Without their organization and financial support –including new vehicles to give away – the event would not be possible. JEEP DRAW to take place September 4th live on the PCH Foundation’s facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PCHFoundation/ TAKE OUT MEALSPick up for take out meals will take place in the parking lot at the Credit Union Place on September 4, between 2-4 pm. Please remember to bring your tickets to pick up your meals.
Vital Signs 2021 The Prince County Hospital Foundation is launching their annual Vital Signs appeal this week and Digital Mammography is front and centre of the $1,788,900 campaign.
Meet Andrea Andrea Wile is a PCH Registered Nurse, the Nurse Manager in the Maternal Child Care Unit, a small business owner in Summerside with her husband Kevin, and a member of the PCH Foundation Board of Directors. When Andrea was a teenager she lost her mother to breast cancer. Though her mother’s cancer was thought to be found early, advancements in mammography have meant that Andrea’s cancer was found even earlier…when she was 35. Andrea recounts “As scary as it is to get results and as scary as it is to get diagnosed, I’d rather know than not know. The options in front of me were positive because of early detection.”Andrea’s mother did everything that was recommended to her in the early 90s, but died from cancer seven years later. “I was blessed,” said Andrea, “because although I couldn’t ask her, my mom was a nurse and kept diaries of her health. I was lucky to be able to read it.” The path her mother walked in those diaries helped to colour Andrea’s own decisions when she was met with her diagnosis. After the mother of two found a lump in February 2018, she consulted, Dr. Heather Austin, her family physician. … View full news story.
A Community Partnership for PCH FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE“Community Partnership for PCH” April 8, 2021 SUMMERSIDE,PE The City of Summerside and the Prince County Hospital Foundation are pleased to announce a new collaboration with the Prince County Hospital on a pilot project at PCH. This community partnership is aimed at filling ongoing vacant Intensive Care nursing roles at the hospital with experienced ICU nurses and retaining permanent staff in the Emergency Department and ICU.. The venture is meant to complement existing efforts and to bring experienced staff to this critical unit. Paul Young, Acting Administrator for Prince County Hospital, “We are overwhelmed and so inspired to bear witness to the PCH Foundation and the City of Summerside so graciously and generously answering our call for help to support the recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals in our facility. We are so encouraged at the potential of this partnership to explore opportunities to complement the excellent work of the Recruitment and Retention Secretariat.” As the City sees PCH as a cornerstone of the community, they have come forward with facility packages at the CUP and a variety of draws for new and existing permanent hospital staff including enhanced packages for new recruits in ICU and Emergency Department. … View full news story.
2020 Vital Signs Results The Prince County Hospital Foundation Board of Directors is pleased to announce the successful completion of the 2020 Vital Signs Appeal. The charity is responsible for the provision of new and replacement medical equipment for the benefit of patients and staff at PCH. The 2020 appeal boasted a $1,485,280 goal and featured priority medical equipment from nearly every department at the hospital. “This was an exceptional year in so many ways—both positive and negative,” said Past-President Liz Maynard whose presidential term ended with the calendar year. “In early March we were prepared to launch our annual public campaign to raise funds for medical equipment. Before the month’s end those plans were placed on hold due to the onset of COVID-19 and the specific needs that it presented at PCH. As the hospital shifted focus, we followed suit; producing a short-term online campaign to fulfill needs like a glidescope and much more.” Maynard continued, “By June, things were settled enough on PEI that we could resume our appeal to raise $1,485,280 needed to keep PCH up-to-date in 2020. Adaptation became the only way to move forward… a sentiment shared by so many in the business community. With each turn we needed … View full news story.
Lights for Life 2020 Results Thanks to more than 1800 donors, Lights for Life has raised an astounding $275,935! That is the largest total since the fundraiser began in 1995. “In a year of uncertainty, the one thing we could all depend on was each other,” says Heather Matheson, Managing Director of the Prince County Hospital Foundation. “People from across PEI make so much possible, especially here at the Prince County Hospital. The incredible number of gifts made to Lights for Life this year will make a huge impact in healthcare at PCH.” Throughout the month of November, supporters dedicated lights and displays by donation in memory and in honour of their loved ones through the PCH Foundation. All of those light dedications are gathered in a keepsake book that is available in a kiosk outside the front door of PCH. All donations support the purchase of medical equipment through the Foundation’s $1.5 million 2020 Vital Signs Appeal for the hospital’s greatest needs. These gifts bring the entire front of the hospital to life with a multitude of holiday lights and displays synchronized to music. This celebratory lighting at the PCH in Summerside is normally an event that hosts hundreds of people and officially brings … View full news story.
Downtown Lights for Life The Prince County Hospital Foundation is expanding Lights for Life to downtown Summerside! In partnership with Downtown Summerside Inc. and the City of Summerside, we will be adding a number of new displays to the western end of boardwalk along Water Street in the coming weeks. The displays will include pieces in keeping with the style and quality currently at PCH as part of Lights for Life. As with the pieces at PCH, donors will have the opportunity to dedicate these new downtown displays in memory or in honour of loved ones. With hopes of expansion in the coming years, “Downtown Lights for Life” will begin with 30 displays featuring snowflakes, trees, snowmen, candy canes and more. “We are simply delighted for this partnership and the opportunity for Lights for Life to grow in such a beautiful setting on the downtown boardwalk,” says PCH Foundation Managing Director Heather Matheson. “This is a good news story for all. The new addition not only adds a peaceful display of lights on the waterfront, but it helps raise funds for medical equipment at PCH.” “The addition of the lighted soldier at Memorial Park was a great beginning,” says Angie Arsenault, left, Managing Director of Downtown Summerside Inc. “So, it seemed only natural to … View full news story.
Grass Roots Special Edition MEAL PICK UP INFORMATION: CLICK HERE Because we cannot gather together in large numbers to celebrate this year, Warren Ellis is introducing a Special Edition of Grass Roots to help the PCH Foundation with its goal of raising $1.5 million for medical equipment in 2020. The Ellis family through Summerside Chrysler Dodge will once again be donating a Jeep Wrangler Sport! In 2020 your ticket purchase will not only give you the chance to win this beautiful Jeep, but it also entitles you to a take-out meal to be picked up at the Credit Union Place in Summerside on October 3rd. None of this would be possible without the continued support of the Ellis family – Warren, Marlene and their sons Josh and Brody, as well as their many friends and business associates. Without their organization and financial support –including new vehicles to give away – the event would not be possible. Tickets for Grass Roots Special Edition are on sale now for $100 each at Summerside Chrysler Dodge or by calling (902) 853-7160. Limited tickets are also available at the PCH Foundation office in the hospital lobby. Mr. Ellis, right, is joined in the photo by his son Brody … View full news story.