It’s Nurses Week: Celebrating our CGMH Healthcare teams

For the month of May, the Collingwood Hospital Foundation is celebrating their healthcare teams through National Doctors Day and Nurses Week, and is asking the public to join them in celebrating with an honorary donation. Gifts will be used to help purchase the first MRI machine for the Collingwood G&M Hospital.

“Within our hospital walls are over 600 healthcare professionals and staff who show up, day after day,” says Jory-Pritchard Kerr, President and CEO of the Collingwood Hospital Foundation, “even when things get tough, even when the world shuts down, they still show up. They do so, because they believe in CGMH and they are committed to providing outstanding care to our community.”

The CGMH healthcare teams work every day under extraordinary pressure and demand. And even though they are strong, committed, and compassionate, they are also tired. In fact, “tired” doesn’t begin to cover it. These professionals ensure that CGMH can keep its doors open. They cut vacations short, they miss birthday parties, dinner parties, and time with family. Throughout the week, the Foundation will be showcasing black and white portraits of some of Collingwood’s hardworking nursing staff, photographed by Jessica Crandlemire.

“Our healthcare teams don’t want to be depicted as superheroes,” says Alison Smith, Director of Communications for the Foundation, “although their efforts are truly heroic, this is incredibly hard for them. They are tired, their personal lives are suffering, and yet they continue to show up and provide compassionate and outstanding care.”

While the Foundation’s mission is to fund equipment for the hospital, their goal is really to equip their healthcare teams with the best tools and equipment. The MRI unit will positively impact both inpatients and outpatients, including those with medical conditions such as cancer, stroke, and orthopaedic problems. “MRI technology is the gold standard way to make the diagnosis of a neurological disability from something like a stroke, brain bleed or a dissection of an artery,” says Dr. Mark Bonta, Chief of Internal Medicine for the Collingwood G&M Hospital, “When we need that test, patients often have to wait a long period of time to get it done. They have to be transported, often in bad weather, often in the middle of the night, to get it done elsewhere. If we could do it locally, we could diagnose people quickly and accurately, and start them on proper treatment here in our hospital without a delay in care.”