Southlake... count on me

Campaign Gets a $5 Million Boost

Newmarket, Ontario, December 6, 2007  - Southlake's Count on Me campaign has received a huge boost with a $5 million gift from a family who wishes to remain anonymous.  This gift is momentous in that it is one of only 18 gifts at this level in Canada over the past year, and is the second largest gift in the history of the Southlake Foundation.

"We are $5 million dollars closer to our $60 million campaign goal, and we are so grateful to this family for the confidence they have demonstrated in Southlake", said Neila Poscente, President and CEO of the Southlake Foundation.  "That they have chosen to support Southlake and our vision for bringing the most advanced cancer care close to home, is a testament to their commitment to the residents of our community".

The family has strong roots in this region and point to the significance of the Regional Cancer Program at Southlake, and the difference it will make in the lives of thousands of residents.  "Every single family in our region will be touched, in some way by cancer.  This Regional Cancer Program is an excellent investment in ensuring that we can all count on the very best in cancer care, right her in our own community", a family representative said.  "We hope that our gift will inspire every single family to make an investment, big or small". 

Major gifts to the campaign will continue to be announced through the next 2 months leading up to a public launch of the campaign in late January 2008.

The Regional Cancer Program will provide a full range of cancer services throughout the Southlake campus, including advanced screening and diagnostics in the Medical Arts Building at Davis Drive and Lundy’s Lane; laboratory, surgical, inpatient and supportive care services in the main Hospital building, and outpatient services in the state-of-the-art Regional Cancer Centre, the centrepiece of Southlake’s Regional Cancer Program. 

The Regional Cancer Centre will serve as the outpatient cancer treatment centre, providing chemotherapy, radiation therapy, follow-up and clinical trials, with capacity for 100,000 patients visits by 2012, a six-fold increase from the current number of annual cancer patient visits. Radiation therapy, a required treatment for almost 60% of cancer patients, and previously only available in Toronto as the closest site to York Region residents, will be a welcome addition to cancer care services in our region, given the necessity for daily treatments over many weeks.

The Regional Cancer Program, scheduled to open in mid-2009,  will house one of the most advanced cancer care teams in a non-teaching hospital in Canada, thanks in large part to Southlake’s collaboration with Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH).  With access to PMH’s world-renowned expertise in cancer research and care, Southlake patients will have access to the latest technology and newest discoveries the moment they become available, translating into care that is more timely, targeted, accurate, and less invasive, all leading to better outcomes and more lives saved.

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