News Releases

St. Joseph's Health Centre is pleased to announce the generous support of BMO Financial Group in the naming of the Health Centre's Ambulatory Care Centre. This gift helps set a new standard for corporate giving as part of the Health Centre's $30 million Medicine and Beyond Campaign.

The bank's commitment of $600,000 is one of the largest single corporate gifts made to the Health Centre's capital campaign. It has also played a critical role in helping to kick-start other donations from corporations, foundations and individuals. Equally important is the significant investment BMO Financial Group has made of time, energy and expertise of its employees as volunteers for St. Joseph's. Their commitment has been felt on the Health Centre and Foundation Boards, and the Campaign Cabinet. Through the bank's financial and volunteer support, The Medicine and Beyond Campaign has achieved 87 percent of its capital campaign goal by raising over $26 million.

"BMO Financial Group's financial generosity and commitment of their staff to our boards and other activities throughout the Health Centre has made a tremendous impact. Our patients, staff, physicians and volunteers benefit daily from the bank's leadership and we are grateful to have them as a partner in our work," said Vas Georgiou, Interim President and CEO of St. Joseph's Health Centre. "Their continued support of the Health Centre for several decades has helped to make them great corporate citizens to the community of southwest Toronto."

"This is a great day for the team at St. Joseph's Health Centre who have done such a wonderful job in completing this exciting project," remarked Tony Comper, Chairman and CEO of BMO Financial Group and Honorary Patron of the campaign. "At BMO, we believe we have a responsibility to give back to the communities we serve. We have been truly honoured to participate in the campaign for St. Joseph's Health Centre and we look forward to its continued success."

The BMO Financial Group Ambulatory Care Centre provides over 20 clinics and services for more than 30,000 outpatient visits per year. The centre offers assessment, diagnostic, treatment and therapy for men, women and children of all ages.

In addition to providing critical support services to the Health Centre's medicine and surgical programs, the Ambulatory Care Centre boasts Elderly Community Health Services for one of the most vulnerable populations in the community whose health needs are often complex.

Overall, the Ambulatory Care Centre provides a continuum of care between the community and the Health Centre's inpatient and outpatient services. The centre occupies space that has been designed to be bright, open and easily accessible.

The BMO Financial Group Ambulatory Care Centre is located on the ground floor of the Glendale Wing. The centre provides medical clinics ranging from cardiology, chest, diabetes and gestational diabetes, infectious diseases and Elderly Community Health Services; surgery clinics such as plastics, dental, foot, vascular and urology; diagnostic services such as audiology and colposcopy; a pain management clinic; a busy IV clinic for blood transfusions and IV therapy; and patient education for individuals with diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The new Ambulatory Care Centre represents one of many initiatives that are part of a significant $76 million redevelopment project for St. Joseph's Health Centre.

St. Joseph's Health Centre serves over 500,000 residents of southwest Toronto and strives to be the best community teaching hospital in Canada. Key areas of service include Family, Community and Emergency Medicine; Surgery; Medicine; Mother and Child (Paediatrics, Family Birthing Centre, NICU); Mental Health; and Diagnostic Imaging.

A special naming ceremony of the new BMO Financial Group Ambulatory Care Centre will take place at the Health Centre on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 beginning at 5:00 p.m. in Education Centre A, Barnicke Wing.

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