NEWS RELEASE
ROYAL VICTORIA REGIONAL HEALTH CENTRE
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Larche Communications Inc. (LCI), the parent company of KICX 106 and 104.1 The Dock, announced they have nearly reached the $500,000 goal of their Radio for Cardiology (R4C) pledge and have committed to making another $500,000 pledge to Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH).
This is the fourth $500,000 pledge LCI has made to RVH in the past nine years. This fourth pledge will also be directed to RVH’s advanced cardiac care program and LCI will once again enlist both KICX and The Dock radio stations to help fundraise across the region.
“We have now nearly completed three pledges to RVH and have vowed to make a fourth - we aren’t looking back,” says Paul Larche, president, LCI. “Our region needs cardiac care and the support we receive every time we make a pledge proves the loyal listeners, community groups, advertisers and staff of our radio stations agree. They support our endeavours wholeheartedly and we would never be able to fulfill our pledges without them.”
The first Radio for Cardiology pledge, announced in 2015, currently stands at $450,000 - only $50,000 shy of completion - pushing the current fundraising total for the Hearts & Minds campaign to just over $20 million.
Of the total $25 million Hearts & Minds fundraising goal, $15 million will be allocated to advanced cardiac care. Much like the first Radio for Cardiology pledge, this latest pledge will help equip a second cardiac catheterization lab in RVH’s future Advanced Cardiac Centre.
“The staff and supporters of LCI have really become part of the cardiac team over the last few years,” says Dr. Brad Dibble, clinical director of the cardiovascular and renal program. “And as part of the team, they are well aware that when it comes to the heart, time is muscle. Right now patients beyond Barrie can’t get to the nearest cardiac centre within the critical 90 minutes of time. But soon – when RVH opens its advanced cardiac program – I won’t be able to say this anymore. The vast majority of North Simcoe Muskoka residents will soon have timely access to cardiac care.”
LCI’s support of RVH began in 2008 and has never ceased since that first pledge:
- 2008 – 2011: Radio for Radiation – pledge helped purchase a new Interventional Radiology suite in RVH’s expanded Imaging department (opened in 2012)
- 2011 – 2015: Radio for Radiology – pledge supported the purchase a CT Simulator for radiation treatment planning in the Simcoe Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre at RVH
- 2015 – 2018: Radio for Cardiology – pledge will help equip two catheterization labs in RVH’s Advanced Cardiac Centre
“Paul, Lawrene and the LCI family are inspiring friends of RVH,” says Janice Skot, president and CEO. “They believe in the importance of improving healthcare for all residents of North Simcoe and Muskoka. Through KICX and The Dock, LCI has helped us share our story with an entire region and hundreds of thousands of people. And their support of Radio for Cardiology has already helped us recruit an incredible team of cardiologists by demonstrating how passionately our region stands behind our plan to bring advanced cardiac care here with the promise of a great facility and great equipment.”
North Simcoe Muskoka is the only region in the province without advanced cardiac services. As a result, every year more than 3,600 heart patients must travel to centres outside the region for lifesaving cardiac care.
The development of an advanced cardiac care program will have a significant impact on bringing cardiac care close to home for residents.
The services provided will include cardiac diagnostics and interventions such as coronary angiogram and angioplasty, giving patients access to faster treatment, a shorter hospital stay and less travel time. Preparation for RVH’s advanced cardiac centre is well underway with construction tenders in and plans to open in late 2017.
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