Humber River Health Embarks on $100 Million Fundraising Mission to Cure Healthcare

Funding to support blueprint for new high-quality, innovative models of care in Canada and beyond

TORONTO, Oct. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canadians take great pride in their universal healthcare system, but with emergency rooms overwhelmed, a shortage of family doctors, an aging population, and hallway medicine at an all-time high, the system is at a critical crossroads. In response, today, Humber River Health Foundation (HRHF) launched Healthcare Lives, one of its most ambitious fundraising efforts since the opening of the new hospital in 2015, with the goal of raising $100 million to reinvent systems of care, and find a cure for healthcare in Canada and around the world.

For decades, Humber River Health (HRH) has been at the forefront of innovations that enable them to treat more patients in less time and with better outcomes, including robotic surgical technologies. HRH uses a custom combination of technology and clinical expertise to rebuild elements of care, making technology work for staff and physicians, giving them more time to spend with patients. They are recognized globally for leveraging technology to deliver high-quality care.

Since opening its doors in 2015, HRH has acted as the Canadian incubator for 21st century models, leading to improved patient outcomes. Additional advancements include:

• The HRH Command Centre, a Canadian first that leverages AI and predictive analytics to monitor and manage patient flow and identify where in the hospital an issue is occurring so staff can take action in real time.
• HRH’s advancements have contributed to a 66 per cent fewer cases of hospital harm than the provincial average, a 10 per cent year-over-year reduction in sepsis cases, a 40 per cent year-over-year decrease in code blues and a medication error rate of 0.0009 per cent.
• HRH’s commitment to safety and quality care is further exemplified by its ranking among the top five Ontario hospitals in every category of the American College of Surgeons’ 2023 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP). HRH is the only hospital in the province to achieve this distinction.
• Over the past several years, HRH has invested in high-tech robots that enable physicians to conduct procedures without having to make large incisions. The integration of these innovations results in significant patient benefits, including less blood loss, reduced pain and swelling and shorter hospital stays.
• These technologies include the da Vinci Xi that allows for highly advanced robotic surgeries, the ROSA® Knee System for fully customized knee replacements and the Intellijoint HIP® used for total hip replacements, the Acessa ProVu® system for minimally invasive gynaecological surgeries, among many others.
  

“At Humber River Health, we're not just responding to the challenges of today—we're redefining the future of healthcare. Our mission is to harness innovation and technology to create a system that delivers better, faster, safer care for every Canadian,” said Sandra Sualim, President & CEO, Humber River Health Foundation. “With the support of our community, we can transform healthcare and set a new standard of care that benefits all.”

HRH encourages all Canadians to join the Healthcare Lives movement driving advancements that will help shape a more effective, sustainable healthcare system for all. All donations will support the blueprint for a new model of care in Canada and beyond.

Those interested in learning more and funding innovations that keep healthcare alive, can visit healthcarelives.ca and the Humber River Health Foundation website.

About Humber River Health Foundation

Lighting New Ways in Healthcare. Humber River Health stands apart. As North America's most digital hospital, our state-of-the-art facility is enabling our physicians and staff to deliver healthcare in new and innovative ways and is a model of efficiency for hospitals around the world. Everything we do is designed to enhance not only outcomes but also the experiences of our patients and their families.

Humber River Health Foundation raises funds to invest in the programs, technologies, and equipment that make our Hospital's superior patient care a reality. Since the day we opened our new facility we've proudly lit a new path forward, always innovating to continue lighting new ways in patient care well into the future. This spirit of innovation is powered by the Foundation's donors and volunteers, who share our vision for better healthcare and who recognize that investment is always needed for the next innovation as much as the last one.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

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CONTACT: For media inquiries: Carly Lottmann, carly@headsandtales.ca, 905-449-5068