St. Joseph's Hospital in uptown Saint John. (Image submitted by St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation)
A fundraising event for the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation that aims to raise funds to support the care and comfort of the hospital’s geriatric patients officially kicked off on Wednesday.
“September For St. Joe’s” is a month-long campaign that will give the public a glimpse into the province’s largest geriatric medicine program and raise awareness of the need for comfortable senior care.
Laurie Flood, executive director of the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation, said in an interview the hospital looks after New Brunswick seniors with care and compassion. It wants to make sure that care continues to the best of its ability.
“When we talk about seniors and senior care, they were disproportionately affected by COVID lockdown because they no longer had access to people in their lives,” said Flood.
“We realized it was time for us to do something to upgrade those furnishings, knowing that your environment is also a huge determinant of health. If you’re in a healthy, cheerful environment, and you’ll get better, faster, you’ll feel better.”
Flood said the foundation has committed itself to refurbish 24 individual suites with new hospital-grade furniture, window treatments and updating each room to appear more modern. It’s all to make sure that patients have a healthy and comfortable environment.
The foundation aims to raise $179,000 over the next month.
To reach that goal, Flood said the foundation has a few things up its sleeve. For starters, they’ll have giveaways involving WestJet flight vouchers, winter tires, coin boxes at local businesses and even QR codes at some uptown restaurants.
“There are all kinds of different ways to get involved and we’re hoping that the community will come forward and support us,” said Flood.
Aside from personal donations, Flood said people can also team up with their co-workers and collectively raise money for different equipment or furniture. She said the foundation continues to look for community partners to support the campaign during September.
Overall, Flood said she’s looking forward to experiencing the community’s love towards patients, seniors and the hospital itself. In addition, she can’t wait to continue a “commitment of care and compassion” delivered at the hospital each day.
“We’re very lucky here at the foundation because we have the opportunity to meet the most generous, kind-hearted individuals who want to give back to their communities,” said Flood.
Those interested in learning more about this year’s campaign can visit the hospital foundation on its website or on Facebook. You can also call the foundation at (506) 632-5595.
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