News Releases
Following the success of the inaugural Healthy Challenge program launched in 2006, The Montfort Hospital Foundation, Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation and the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health are again working with BMO Financial Group to encourage Ottawans to lead a healthier, more active lifestyle while at the same time raising money for the three Hospitals.
“We were extremely proud of the success we achieved during last year's Healthy Challenge program and the tremendous efforts and generosity of our employees and our customers,” said Jamie McMillan, Senior Vice President, BMO Bank of Montreal. “We're looking to make this year's Challenge even better by involving more community organizations and local corporations. With the heightened awareness of the program our BMO employees and other supporters are certain to surpass the total amount we raised last year.”
From May 14th through June 24th, BMO employees, community organization members and individuals will wear pedometers to measure their steps and attempt to log 10,000 steps a day. Participants in the walk are being sponsored by individual and corporate pledges with the money raised to go to the Foundations of the three partner Hospitals.
Research shows that a moderate activity such as walking reduces the risk of premature death, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure and many other diseases and disorders. Walking is good for the mind as well as the body: People who walk regularly are less likely to show symptoms of depression and anxiety, and more likely to feel upbeat. What's more, walking can help the environment by reducing the time we spend in cars.
There are many ways to get involved in The Ottawa Healthy Challenge and support Ottawa-area Hospitals:
Members of the public can visit the website at www.ottawahealthychallenge.com to pledge support to a participant, or register and take the challenge as an individual, and are also welcome to drop in to any of the participating BMO branches and offer to support an employee.
This year the participants taking the Ottawa Healthy Challenge has broadened to include groups such as the Ottawa Paramedics Service, the Ottawa Firefighters Association, Mitel and even a local school. Employers or corporate HR managers are invited to register their company to take part or explore corporate sponsorship opportunities.
“It's campaigns like this one that bring communities together,” said Eric Dean, CEO of Queensway-Carleton Hospital Foundation. “We appreciate the continuous support of BMO Financial Group, as well as our new partners and look forward to their participation in this year's program. Everyone benefits from this program – the results are more support for quality health care in our community and better health for all.”
ABOUT OUR HOSPITALS:
Montfort Hospital (www.montfortfoundation.ca)
The Montfort Hospital is the only French language community teaching hospital in Ontario, and the only one in Canada, west of Quebec. Fulfilling its double service and teaching mission requires that Montfort have a triple regional, provincial and national mandate. Montfort offers health care services principally to the population of Eastern Ottawa and Eastern Ontario. Being the sole major provider of completely 24/7 bilingual health care services in the province, Montfort has a unique service mission towards Ontario's Francophone community. Its teaching mission in medicine and health sciences also makes it a unique teaching milieu for minority francophones from across Canada. More than 500 students, including 260 in medicine, attend Montfort each year, as well as a contingent of 24 residents in family medicine. Montfort is undergoing a $286 million expansion that will more than double its facilities and the services of the hospital. This expansion, already under way and to be completed by Fall 2009, is one of Ontario's biggest infrastructure projects. Montfort is confirmed as one of the most efficient hospitals in the province, providing health care services of the highest quality based on the application of best practices in health care.
Queensway Carleton Hospital (www.qch.on.ca)
Queensway Carleton is a community hospital in Ottawa's west end providing a broad range of acute-care services. With 264 beds and over 1,700 health care professionals on staff, Queensway Carleton is the secondary referral centre for the Ottawa Valley. Its cornerstone programs include emergency care, childbirth, geriatrics, mental health, medical and surgical services and rehabilitation. The hospital is a teaching partner with the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Medicine and other healthcare programs and is committed to delivering a high standard of care. Queensway Carleton Hospital will break ground this fall to begin construction on an Early Start Project to build three new operating rooms, part of the final phase of its redevelopment project.
Royal Ottawa Hospital ( www.youknowwhoiam.com)
Mental illness will affect one out of every five Canadians at some point in their lifetime. Serving communities across Eastern Ontario, the new 400,000 square-foot Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre specializes in providing care for people with complex and serious mental illnesses which are often resistant to treatment. The state of-the-art psychiatric teaching hospital affiliated with the Universityof Ottawa and networked with Queen's University and Carleton
University offers 188 inpatient beds and a tower housing theUniversity of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research.
Fundraising efforts are ongoing to support research and patient care programs and the completion of Phase II of the redevelopment of the new Centre and opening of the Youth Psychiatry Wing this fall.
ABOUT BMO Financial Group
Established in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group is a highly diversified North American financial services organization. With total assets of $356 billion as at January 31, 2007, and more than 35,000 employees, BMO provides a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and solutions. BMO Financial Group serves clients across Canada through its Canadian retail arm, BMO Bank of Montreal.
BMO Bank of Montreal has 25 branches in the Greater Ottawa area.
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