Commitment and Celebration in Northwest Toronto
TORONTO – It seems as only yesterday when, ten years ago, the Hospital known affectionately as Humber River Health, HRH, (and its companion entity, Humber River Health Foundation,HRHF) opened its doors to the general public as the re-incarnation of three publicly funded hospitals servicing the area of what used to be known as the communities of Weston and Downsview. The claim of the day was that it would be the first fully digitized healthcare hospital in the GTA. It was.
As per its Annual Report for 2023-24, HRH provides health care to a catchment basin of 850,000 residents. For reference, that total is circa the equivalent to the population resident in all of Mississauga. Weston and Downsview, combined are still home to a large number of single-family property owners of Italian origin.
No surprise, then, the celebration of the fundraising success of the HRHFoundation would feature such notables from the community as Carlo Baldassarra (Green Park Homes) and Fausto Gaudio (Italian Canadian Savings), among others, as donors who led the fundraising drive culminating in the celebration on November 14. Unofficially, these individuals represented the Laziale and Calabrese communities and their cultural/entrepreneurial commitment to the concept of civic altruism.
Health care is an expensive service few might be able to afford, left to their own devices. The Annual Report cited above points to the $703.8 million budget for 2023-24 allocated by the provincial government to provide qualified medical personnel and technology to meet the health care needs of that population base. The demands on the generosity of community like Messrs. Baldassarra and Gaudio would be impossible to meet; clearly there would be similar demands on others.
It might be of interest to the general public that HRH and HRHF acknowledge – with gratitude – the 550 monthly donors who, through one program or another, contribute to sustain and promote the service at the Health Centre. It is even more impressive that of the $10,306, 473 raised, $7,915,607 were transferred to HRH – costs were kept at a minimum.
HRH aims to: “Re-invest in systems of care and find a cure for healthcare”. The Province, according to the parliamentary budget officer, allocated $91.6 billion to Health Care, $31 billion of that to hospitals.
Given the efficiency and transparency mantra behind the provincial government’s spending allocations, it is little wonder that Premier Ford would attend the gala to celebrate generosity.
Here below the trailer of the gala (by @pmhe_m) and some images from the event (photos: George Pimentel, courtesy of HRHF)
