Car dealers drive $3M in fresh donations to Vaughan hospital in February
Pfaff Automotive Partners gives $2 million while R.Ferri Automotive contributes $1 million
Yorkregion.com
March 2, 2020
Dina Al-Shibeeb
February isn’t even officially over and the new Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital has received a generous sum of $3 million from two local donors, spelling out a strong start for its final completion expected in late 2020.
With hospitals increasingly becoming more congested, Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital will not only be the first hospital built in York Region in the last 30 years, but will also be Canada's first smart hospital. In 2019, the hospital raised $174 million out of its $250-million goal.
On Feb. 20, the Mackenzie Health Foundation announced that it received a $2-million gift from Pfaff Automotive Partners to help build and equip the new Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital.
The foundation said that this money will be geared toward the ultrasound zone in the medical imaging unit on level 1 of the new hospital.
“Ultrasounds are important tools for our care teams and help them gain a clearer picture of a patient’s health, so they can make an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan,” said Altaf Stationwala, President and CEO, Mackenzie Health. “We’re thankful to Pfaff for their generosity and look forward to our continued partnership.”
This is not the first contribution Pfaff Automotive Partners has made to Mackenzie Health, as longtime supporters of community projects in York Region. The company’s president and CEO, Christopher Pfaff, has already made a big difference by supporting Mackenzie Health Foundation signature events.
“When we decided, as a company, to focus our philanthropic efforts in the communities where our employees live and work, we knew that donating to the new Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital made perfect sense,” said Pfaff. “We began as a local family business in York Region and we’re happy to be able to give back to our community in a way that will benefit people for many years to come.”
Pfaff Automotive Partners’ donation comes in less than a month after the Vaughan-based R.Ferri Automotive announced on Feb. 6 its $1-million donation to build and equip the new hospital.
To recognize the donation, the family lounge and play area in the neonatal intensive care unit will be named the R.Ferri Automotive Family Lounge.
In related news, Ontario announced that it will invest $175 million this year through the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund to help its 131 hospitals across the province maintain their infrastructure and ensure a safe and comfortable environment for patients to receive care.
As Canada’s population grows older, the provincial minister of long-term care, Merrilee Fullerton, has recently acknowledged that about 30,000 people across Ontario are waiting for long-term care beds. Ontario is also grappling with what’s called “hallway medicine” as the province's hospitals put nearly 1,000 patients in "unconventional spaces."
The announcement of this investment was made on Feb. 14 by Daisy Wai, MPP for Richmond Hill, alongside King-Vaughan MPP Stephen Lecce, Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill MPP Michael Parsa, Markham-Thornhill MPP Logan Kanapathi and Stationwala.
As part of this investment, Mackenzie Health will receive more than $1.2 million to make necessary upgrades at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital to support fundamental hospital operations.
“Continued investments like the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund will allow us to make needed improvements as we provide the ultimate in care to our patients and their families,” said Stationwala.
“Investing in Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital is vital to enhancing the care we’re able to provide to residents in Richmond Hill and complements our infrastructure expansion as we get closer to opening Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital,” he added.
In addition to a $1.3-billion investment from the provincial government, the hospital has received the “largest fundraising drive ever led by a community hospital in Canada,” said Stationwala in a previous interview.
