“The Future of Cardiac Care Starts Today!”
Published Monday, February 3, 2025
Pictured (L-R) Vanessa Kasper, Foundation Board Director, Dr. Steve Adams, Foundation Board Chair, The Hon. Kevin Holland, MPP for Thunder Bay – Atikokan, Parker Jones, Foundation Board Past Chair and Pat Bushby, Foundation Board Director and Our Hearts at Home Cardiovascular Campaign Cabinet Member.
Provincial Funding Announcement Combined with Your 10 Years of Support Launches New Era in Local Healthcare
After more than 10 years, we got the announcement we've all been waiting for: we now have a target date for full, cardiac surgery services in Thunder Bay.
On Tuesday, January 28, the Government of Ontario and the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre announced plans for the Cardiovascular Surgery (CVS) Program's new 76,000-square-foot Cardiac Care Unit, with construction scheduled to be complete in late 2027. Construction will start soon, and contractors are already in place.
“The future of cardiac care starts today!” said Dr. Steve Adams, Chair of the Health Sciences Foundation Board of Directors. “Together, we are realizing our vision of healing our hearts at home.”
“This is the turning point in closer-to-home cardiac care that we've been working towards,” said Glenn Craig, President and CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation. “It's a new era in local healthcare.”
Both Craig and Dr. Adams underlined the importance of community support for this project.
“Thanks to donor support of the Our Hearts at Home Cardiovascular Campaign and the Northern Cardiac Fund, we're building a legacy of cardiac care,” Craig said. “Soon, patients in Northwestern Ontario who need cardiac surgery every year will be able to get it right here in Thunder Bay.”
“Today's announcement validates the outstanding generosity of the hundreds of people who have contributed to the campaign,” said Dr. Adams. “Their support has been, and continues to be, absolutely critical to our success. We are incredibly grateful for each and every person who has contributed their time, energy, and resources.”
Dr. Adams also recognized the people who dedicated ten years of their lives to the Our Hearts at Home Cardiovascular Surgery Campaign.
“For close to a decade, the campaign cabinets and volunteers of the Our Hearts at Home Campaign have dedicated countless hours towards realizing the community's dream of bringing both cardiac and vascular surgery to Northwestern Ontario,” he said. “We are incredibly grateful for each and every person who has contributed their time, energy, and resources.”
The Cardiac Care Unit includes its own surgical suite, 14 cardiovascular surgery beds, six coronary surgery beds, a vascular lab, and an expanded ambulatory care and pre-admission clinic. For the first time ever, patients will be able to have procedures such as bypasses and valve replacements done right here without travelling a thousand miles to get it.
The government will invest $93 million for this project on top of the $5.2 million already funded for early planning and design.
“Today is an exciting day for healthcare in Northwestern Ontario, and a day to celebrate a truly transformative milestone in Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario,” said Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Kevin Holland.
Government investment will cover construction costs of new Cardiac Care Unit, but much of the equipment needed for the CVS Program will come directly from generous donations to the Health Sciences Foundation. The new surgical suite, for example, will provide state-of-the-art equipment for our new cardiac surgeons. Instead of “open heart surgery” as it was called in the old days, the surgical suite will include tools for minimally invasive techniques such as a C-arm to provide clear images during surgery as well as equipment for recovery, patient monitoring, the vascular lab, and more.
“Cardiac surgery has changed since the Hospital started planning the new program,” Craig said. “Thanks to our donors, we'll be able to provide those key, cutting-edge pieces of equipment that will make cardiac surgery safer, less invasive, and greatly reduce recovery time for overall patient care.
“Best of all, cardiac patients in Northwestern Ontario will now be able to get the heart surgery they need closer to home.”
You can still help! Your donations to the Foundation's Northern Cardiac Fund will help ensure our surgeons have the tools they need to treat patient's right here in Thunder Bay. Donate online at: healthsciencesfoundation.ca/donate or call our Donation Centre at 807-345-4673.
Article by Graham Strong