Inspirational Stories QCH Foundation ottawa

QCH Foundation History

Our community has rallied to support the Queensway Carleton Hospital since before it was opened in 1976. The hospital has continued to benefit from the community’s generosity through volunteered time, donated funds, and both community and corporate partnerships.

Originally, the Foundation was the VAQCH (Volunteer’s Association of Queensway Carleton Hospital), established in 1974 and led by Nepean Resident and QCH board member Kay Ryan.

The mission was:

“To provide, in a spirit of warmth and generosity, the best possible support for the patients and staff of the Queensway Carleton Hospital.”

By 1975, the VAQCH had garnered nearly $15,000 from pre-opening fundraising to equip the volunteer-run coffee shop and the gift shop.  By 1979 $121,000 was raised through the VAQCH.

The Foundation:

With expansion plans in development, the QCH Foundation began to take shape with an advisory committee that included members of the hospital’s Board of Directors.  Its mandate was simple: to efficiently and effectively manage the funds donated by the community and to become the fundraising arm of the hospital.  A Letters Patent was granted and the Foundation filed its first report to the community in 1986.  The first fundraiser was a successful night at the National arts Centre featuring a performance by the Royal Canadian Air Farce.  The packed house of 2,300 people raised $45,000, used to purchase state-of-the-art monitoring equipment for the ICU.

Vital Signs:

The Foundations first campaign was Vital Signs.  A $5 million capital campaign.  The multi-faceted campaign was a community-based fundraiser to support the hospital’s portion of the proposed expansion.

An expansion took place in the mid 80s.  It included 160 additional acute care beds, expanded ambulatory care, diagnostic services, as well as administration space.  The project did not make way to the Ministry of Health until the end of 1986.  Four years later-Funding breakdowns for the estimated $33 million project, meant that partial funding would be provided by the Ministry of Health.  The Vital Signs campaign was Chaired by Irving Greenberg.

By 1990, a formalized Foundation was established complete with bylaws and charitable registration documentation.  The original Vital Signs campaign committee became the first staff members.  The following year, the Foundation’s Board of Directors was appointed with hospital input from CEO John Sutherland.  Barbra Farber became the Foundation’s first Board Chair.

The staff campaign, with a $225,000 goal, broke the boundaries with more than $681,288!  The Volunteer’s Association presented one of the largest gifts at $600,000.

The Vital Signs Campaign successfully reached its 4% million dollar goal, however, in the midst of the development the provincial government halted all health care spending and all capital projects were put on hold.

Hand in Hand:

Need for expansion was again evident.  The QCH had a need to continue to provide the level of service required for its cornerstone programs (Emergency, Medical and Surgical, Mental Health, Geriatrics, Rehabilitation and Childbirth).  With expansion plans under development to bring phase two to fruition, the QCH Foundation launched the Hand in Hand Capital Campaign with the goal of raising $12 million, a third of the original expansion cost estimate.  The campaign reached the $25 million mark in 2006.

  • June 2002 marked a key milestone in the Hand in Hand campaign.  Former City of Nepean councilors voted to donate a $3 million legacy gift to QCH.
  • Phase 1 Expansion Completed
  • QCH opened a new state of the art Birthing Centre in November 2000 with approximately 2100 births taking place each year.  The Grace Hospital’s Newborn Program was incorporated into this state-of-the art birthing centre.
  • QCH’s Diagnostic services expanded in October 2000 to include the addition of a new CT(Cat) scan unit.
  • Phase 2 Expansion Completed
  • A new Emergency Department – double the size that existed.  QCH’s Emergency Department is the busiest emergency department in the region serving the growing population in the west end.
  • Outpatient clinics grow to meet the increased demands for services due to Hospital Restructuring; An increased number of operating and procedure rooms will become available to help reduce the long waiting list for elective surgery and to accommodate the transfer of the gynecology program from The Grace Hospital.
  • A new Rehabilitation Unit primarily to meet the special needs of the stroke patients will be added;
  • An expansion of Mental Health Services which includes the addition of mental health beds; and, An expansion of the Intensive Care Unit, allowing us to keep more patients in the community, close to their family and friends.

Care Grows West:

2006 saw the launch of the Care Grows West campaign.  The formula for the campaign (a Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and Community Partnership) mandated that the community share required to support the overall projects costing $240 million, would be $35 million based on 10% of the costs for “bricks and mortar” and 100% of the cost of new equipment.

The Foundation has flowed Care Grows West donations to the Queensway Carleton Hospital in order to advance the vision for expansion.  We are seeing the impact being made through philanthropy and delivering on the promise.  The balance of funds will be provided to the hospital as pledges continue to be fulfilled.

Advancing Care for All Ages:

February 2014 marked the official launch of the Advancing Care for All Ages campaign, which builds on the progress of the Care Grows West Campaign.