Bethesda relaunches campaign, raises $16 million

The Bethesda Foundation re-launched its Caring Together campaign on Tuesday announcing it had raised $16 million of a $22 million goal.

“We look forward to fulfilling the other $6 million that we have committed to so we can continue to improve health care in Steinbach,” said foundation chair Chris Goertzen.

More than $8 million was used for the first phase of a two-phase build. Phase 1 saw the completion of the Bethesda Primary Care Centre, Stonebridge Wellness Centre, and the expansion of the Rest Haven Care Home.

Phase 2 is currently in the construction phase for a new and expanded surgical department with three new operating theatres and the enhancement of the palliative care department. That construction project will cost $8 million. The remaining $5.7 million of the $22 million will be used for future health care projects.

“We’re very excited and we think that it’s going to be an extremely positive addition to the community, our services will be able to expand, we’ll be able to attract more medical and nursing personnel to the area. It’s a win-win all the way through,” said general surgeon Dr. Paul Galessiere.

Galessiere has been working in Bethesda since the beginning of his career 31 years ago. Since that time, he has joked that the 70-year-old surgical department is so old that the décor has come back in style.

“When I arrived here there was small surgical program with one surgeon, two part-time GP anesthetists, and they only operated three times a week. Laparoscopic surgery and video endoscopy were not available here. The surgical services available to the community were somewhat limited. Since then, our department has grown to four surgeons, four anesthetists, and 10 (operating) slates a week.”

Laparoscopic surgeries and video endoscopy services are now available at Bethesda Regional Health Centre. He said the hospital was the first rural facility in the province to offer a full range of laparoscopic surgery including laparoscopic appendectomy, hernia repair, colon resections amongst several other innovative laparoscopic procedures. In fact, the hospital was the first in the province to offer total laparoscopic hysterectomies.

Co-chair for the campaign Michelle Sawatzky shared how the palliative care unit was instrumental in helping her father when he died a year ago. She said while her father was in palliative care for a short time the family felt listened to and cared for by the doctors and nurses in the department.

“You are essential to exactly the health care that someday you may need,” she said.