The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital announced it has received a $6 million commitment from The Angel Gabriel Foundation, the largest individual contribution in the history of Guelph General Hospital.
It will help launch Guelph General’s recently announced medical centre as well as support the expansion of emergency mental health services.
Of the $6 million contribution, $5 million will support the hospital’s new, community-based medical centre that will initially offer a variety of diagnostic imaging services. Anchored by a second MRI, the centre will also include added breast imaging, ultrasound, x-ray, and bone mineral density tests. A further $1 million will support the hospital’s current Emergency Department expansion, including The Angel Gabriel Foundation Centre for Mental Health and Addictions.
The renovation will double Guelph General’s short-stay assessment unit beds from four to eight, in addition to providing emergency and out patient mental health supports. It is estimated that over the next decade alone, the hospital’s emergency department will care for over 30,000 patients requiring mental health support including addictions. Of those, as many as 7,000 patients will be admitted to the new short stay assessment unit.
“Our community is incredibly fortunate to have benefited from Stu and Kim Lang’s philanthropy and through their foundation, they have sought to make the world a better place. We are grateful that they have chosen to invest in expanding care for our growing Guelph-Wellington community,” said Khalil Khamis, Chair of The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital’s volunteer board of directors, in a news release.
Stu and Kim Lang said, “It’s always our goal to help the most number of people, and to do the most good we can with what we have. Our foundation initially made a contribution to support mental health because so many people will benefit. When we learned about the hospital’s plans to go beyond its current walls and expand into the community, we saw how it would open up access to care significantly.”
