Recycling good for Niagara cancer centre
You know recycling helps the environment and keeps valuable resource materials out of landfill, but did you know it also helps to fight cancer?
Every empty soda can and cereal box tossed in a recycling box has made a difference to health care in Niagara.
Emterra Environmental, Niagara Region’s contractor for the collection of blue and grey recyclables and organics, on Monday presented a cheque to One-Foundation for Niagara Health System for $37,800 which was raised through the company’s Make Your Contribution at the Curb campaign whereby the organization donates $1 for every tonne of recycled material.
“It’s important to show donors the impact they’re making with their contributions,” said Roger Ali, president and CEO of One-Foundation for Niagara Health System.
“It helps the donor share with their staff and community the impact they are making. It’s not only about a financial contribution, it’s actually improving patient care in a way that is lasting and that is our goal, to create a healthier community.”
Emterra representatives were given a tour of the Walker Family Cancer Centre in St. Catharines to show the impact of the donation, including a visit to the arts in medicine program which provides workshops and musical sessions for patients and caregivers.
Brenda Luscombe, director of oncology with the NHS oncology program, said the arts in medicine program is an innovative approach to meeting patient needs as they go through their cancer journey.
The Poets and Painters workshop, for example, gives participants an opportunity to write or paint and there are also storytelling workshops.
Emterra also learned of several tools and resources that have been developed to ensure the NHS meets or exceeds patient expectations.
When NHS discovered the Walker Family Cancer Centre was receiving a large amount of after-hour calls from patients and caregivers who had questions relating to previous and upcoming appointments, staff worked to come up with a solution.
NHS developed a peer support program where an individual is available to accompany a patient to appointments to help them gain a better understanding of the next step in their care.
“We were hoping that would mitigate some of the after hour calls and it did … exponentially,” said Joanne Ferraccioli, patient care co-ordinator. “There has been a huge decrease in calls.”
Since Emterra launched the Make Your Contribution at the Curb program in 2011, the company has raised more than $240,000 to benefit the Walker Family Cancer Centre.
“We realized that we’re serving every person in a community so we wanted to contribute in all the places our staff work and live,” said Paulina Leung, vice-president of corporate strategy and business development at Emterra Group.
Regional Chairman Alan Caslin said the donation is an example of how the private sector can work together with the health care system and non-profit agencies to “accomplish good for the community.”