Just in time for the Thanksgiving, you can help give back to a cause that matters.
Vista Radio is running its annual Thanksgiving Hospital Radiothon for both the South Muskoka and Huntsville Hospital Foundations. Each year, both the 99.5 and 105.5 Moose FM stations reach out to the community looking for donations to help to pay for the continued need to update diagnostic equipment at each of Muskoka’s hospitals.
Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare Board Chair Phil Matthews says without the work of the hospital foundations, they wouldn’t be able to afford the capital costs at each site.
“Every year we have a capital list that the doctors and staff prepare, it’s in the neighbourhood of about nine to 10 million dollars,” says Matthews. “We get about $2 million from each of the foundations.”
Matthews says the hospital doesn’t receive provincial funding to replace equipment, only to cover the operational costs of the two sites. He says through the foundations and hospital auxiliaries, the public is mostly responsible for updating the medical equipment.
MAHC CEO Natalie Bubela says costs will be going up over the next few years which means the need for community donations is more essential than ever.
“We want to ensure that we have well-equipped hospitals,” says Bubela. “I’m sure anyone that wants to use our hospitals or may need to in the future would feel more confident if they knew that we had the necessary equipment to look after them.”
Bubela says six out of every 10 visitors to the hospital will require additional testing.
“That could be bloodwork, fluid testing, diagnostic imaging like an x-ray or a CT scan,” says Bubela. “So that just demonstrates that 60 per cent of the people we care for require some form of an assessment that relies on equipment.”
She says staff, physicians and volunteers make both hospitals amazing, but it’s the community assistance that keeps them vibrant.
Vista Radio’s Cottage Country Cluster Manager Jenny Hodge says this is just part of Moose FM’s commitment to stay local and proud.
“We’re excited to continue supporting both Muskoka’s hospital sites with our annual radiothon,” says Hodge. “Every year, it’s amazing to see how our community partners, our clients and, most importantly, our listeners come together to get behind such a worthy cause.”
Last year, 99.5 Moose FM raised over $56,000 for the South Muskoka Hospital. In Huntsville, 105.5 Moose FM raised about $26,000.
The radiothon runs from 6:00am to 8:00pm in Bracebridge and from 6:00am to 6:00pm in Huntsville.
If you’d like to make a donation to the South Muskoka Hospital Foundation you can call 705-645-2218. For the Huntsville Hospital Foundation call 705-789-4461.
You can also make a donation online for the South Muskoka Hospital Foundation here, and the Huntsville Hospital Foundation here.
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Huntsville Hospital Foundation gears new fundraising campaign at cottagers
Moose FM Radiothon brings in over $56,000 for the South Muskoka Hospital