Pushing on

Larry Matheson says Picton hospital needs community support and donations now more than ever.

Donors move to the sidelines amid cuts to hospital, but the need remains

These are difficult days for the local hospital foundation. As chair, Larry Matheson, observes, “it is hard to raise funds to buy new beds when beds are being cut.”

But Matheson knows that if Prince Edward County Memorial has any kind of future in this community, it will continue to need equipment and the resources to make capital improvements.

That is why he is out this week pounding the pavement on behalf of the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation, letting County residents know it is “business as usual.”

“Our job is to support the medical staff at the hospital,” said Matheson. “We do this by raising donations to pay for medical equipment and facilities. We cannot lose sight of this.”

His job, and the job of the foundation, have been made more challenging with each round of cuts of service and capacity endured by the Picton hospital. Under the most recent plan, QHC is cutting 12 beds from the 21 remaining; eliminating maternity services; and patriating endoscopic procedures (e.g. colonoscopies) to Belleville General Hospital.

It is a bitter pill to swallow for many in this community. The usually giving County wallets have snapped shut. There is also more competition for donor dollars.

Part of Matheson’s message is to underline the fact the money raised in this community is used to fund equipment and capital projects that benefit residents in this community.

“We control where the foundation’s dollars are spent,” said Matheson. “QHC may make a request, but we make the decision to participate and at what level.”

The funds raised here are managed by the local directors—most used here to fund equipment and projects at PECMH. A small portion may be used from time to time to contribute to an effort to purchase equipment for another hospital that will be used regularly by County residents.

Matheson said the foundation board shares the frustration felt by many about the latest round of cuts being imposed by QHC, adding that it is “taking a stance with others in the community for preserving our hospital.”

But he says the work must continue. The foundation must remain positive about the future of the Picton hospital. For if donations dry up, the fate of the local hospital could be made worse—handcuffing local doctors and health care workers with outdated technology as well as further eroding the viability of the hospital.

It’s a downward spiral that Matheson and directors of the foundation are working hard to head off. He says this community has always stood behind its hospitals. Now this support is needed more than ever.

“The fact that we have had a robust hospital here since 1919 and it is continually updated with the latest diagnostic and treatment equipment is a major factor supporting the preservation of this hospital,” said Matheson.

The foundation has raised in excess of $5 million in the County over the last decade.

Matheson and the board are taking the word of QHC officials when they say they are committed to a thriving hospital in Picton. As long as they feel this commitment is genuine, they will work to provide the doctors and nurses at PECMH with the tools they need to continue to care for the County.