Steinbach hospital to receive multi-million dollar donation

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This article was published 28/05/2024 (341 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bethesda Foundation has pledged $8 million for the new expansion at Bethesda Regional Health Centre.

“This is clearly the largest contribution we’ve ever made,” said Darrel Penner, chair of the Bethesda Foundation board.

The foundation has raised $15.5 million for the hospital and is hoping to increase that amount to $22 million. “Bethesda Foundation has a long history of giving to healthcare projects,” Penner said.

He said donations will re-open to the public this fall after being paused due to the pandemic.

“We were very sensitive (because of the pandemic) to fundraising campaigns in the area. But we’ve now decided to relaunch what we call phase two.”

Bethesda Regional Health Centre’s expansion will have three new operating theatres, a dialysis unit and will have seven beds specializing in palliative care.

Linda Peters, executive director of the Bethesda Foundation says that they decided on an $8 million donation based on what the centre needs. The hospital’s surgery centre was built in the 1960s and is in need of an upgrade.

She added that it’s important for rural areas to be able to handle patients who might be transferred from all over the province.

“Manitoba needs the smaller communities to help too,” Peters said.

She added that the foundation is confident that they will be able to reach their $22 million goal.

“Steinbach is a very philanthropic and giving community,” said Peters. “Everybody has someone who’s been touched and is in need of healthcare.”

Kyle MacNair, implementation lead for Southern Health said the three-floor facility will provide 23 new beds for patients.

“The operating theatres are going to be designed as modern operating theatres that can handle many types of different surgeries,” said MacNair. “Large enough with the equipment that will handle general surgeries but will allow some specialist surgeries to be done in the facility. It’s mostly about just making sure your space is adequate.”

The addition is expected to create 75 new jobs once all services are fully functioning.

The over $60-million project is expected to be completed in December 2025 and welcome its first patient in February/March 2026.

“We’re working on getting all the exterior walls up and the first layer of cladding and insulation,” MacNair said. “Right now, we’re just closing in the building.”

According to MacNair, the exterior should be fully closed in this fall with all of 2025 devoted to working on the inside of the building.

The previous largest donation from the Bethesda Foundation was in 2019, when $5.3 million was given to the Rest Haven Care Home.