Yarmouth Hospital Foundation boosts healthcare initiatives across tri-counties

Annual grants come from $22-million annoymous donation made to foundation

The Yarmouth Hospital Foundation has awarded grants totaling $150,000 to 11 organizations to aid in their mission to promote healthcare in the tri-county area.

The grants are the first to be awarded by the Healthcare Enhancement Endowment (HEE) Committee, which was formed to develop eligibility criteria and oversee the Commitment to Healthcare Community Fund.

This annual fund was created through the resources generated from a gift of $22 million that the foundation received from an anonymous donor, says Foundation Board Chair Neil LeBlanc. The foundation announced the donation in March 2021, calling it the ‘most remarkable gift' it had ever received.

In honouring the wishes of the donor, this annual fund will be directed to programs and services that clearly support enhancement of healthcare and wellness within the area served by the Yarmouth Regional Hospital, which is Yarmouth, Digby, and Shelburne Counties.

To address that requirement, the committee adopted a policy to invest 15 percent of its projected annual investment earnings from the HEE — which equates to approximately $150,000 — towards community initiatives which are aligned with the existing mission and goals of the Foundation, explains committee chair Melanie Kenney.

“This has been an incredible experience,” Kenney says. “Funding has been made possible by the overwhelming generosity of an anonymous donor, and we have been able to build on that.

“Born and raised in this community, I was absolutely inspired and uplifted to learn about new and existing initiatives in our area and the community support behind them,” she adds.

“There's nothing better than when you can give back to the community and enable other people to keep giving.”

The following organizations have been selected to receive the grants:

• Bay Side Home (Barrington): Two Hippocampe all-terrain chairs to take residents outside of the home to areas of the community that lack wheelchair accessibility, such as beaches and trails.

• Children's Aid Foundation of NS: Health and WellBeing Fund exclusively for underserved, at risk and vulnerable children, and former youth in care, ages 0-24, in

Digby, Shelburne and Yarmouth Counties.

• Digby and Area Health Services Charitable Foundation: Infant scale and baby warmer for Digby General Hospital.

• Le Transport de Clare Society: Transportation to and from hospital for medical appointments such as dialysis for lower income residents of Digby County.

• Roseway Hospital Foundation (Shelburne): Contribution to the purchase of a digital x-ray machine for the Roseway Hospital.

• Villa Saint Joseph du Lac (Dayton): Therapeutic sensory room for long-term-care residents.

• VON Tri-County: Expansion of the Frozen Meals on Wheels program from Shelburne to Cape Sable Island.

• Yarmouth and Area

Chamber of Commerce: Furnishings for the Credit Union Place medical student and locum units on Vancouver Street.

• Yarmouth County Ground Search and Rescue Team: Standard first aid with CPR and AED training for 35 members this year and 15 additional members each year for the next three years.

• Yarmouth County Splash Park (Yarmouth): Community splash park designed to provide opportunities for active, healthy living through recreation and to increase inclusion and access to recreation for those who face constraints to participation.

• Yarmouth County Hospice Society: Oximeters for VON nurses who provide quality care for end-of-life patients who wish to remain at home.