Donation to support hospital's pediatric
asthma research and emergency room facilities
MONTREAL, April 20, 2018 /CNW/ - As thousands of
runners are about to take part at the 16th annual Banque Scotia
21k de Montréal, one of Quebec's most important road races and
fundraising runs, Scotiabank announces its $1 million donation to Montreal's Sainte-Justine University Hospital
Centre.
"Scotiabank aims to support organizations that are committed to
helping young people reach their infinite potential," says
Tom Apostolis, District
Vice-President, Montreal Centre at Scotiabank. "We believe this is
an investment in the long-term security, stability and growth of
our communities. That's why we are proud to make this important
donation to Sainte-Justine Hospital. Through the Scotiabank Charity
Challenge at the Banque Scotia 21k de
Montréal this coming weekend, we hope others will be encouraged to
fundraise and give back to their chosen charity."
Through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, the event raises money
every year for close to 80 local charities that help to create a
stronger future for young people and build vibrant communities. The
fundraising program provides a simple way for runners to support
the charity of their choice and make a significant impact locally
as part of their race. Participating charities keep 100 per cent of
the proceeds raised, as Scotiabank pays for all transaction and
credit card fees.
Scotiabank's million-dollar donation, which is complementary to
the funds raised through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, will
directly support the CHU Sainte-Justine's pediatric asthma
department and the emergency room. Half of the funds will be
allocated to the development of a Rapid Evaluation Zone in
Sainte-Justine's high-traffic
emergency room. The implementation of this project led by
Dr. Antonio D'Angelo, Chief of emergency medicine at CHU
Sainte-Justine, aims to improve the management of sick patient care
and reduce waiting times. According to the seriousness of the
patient's health status, this innovative system allows doctors to
evaluate children in the emergency room faster and start their
treatment earlier.
The other half of the donation will support childhood asthma
research led by Dr. Francine Ducharme, Pediatrician, clinical
epidemiologist and researcher at CHU Sainte-Justine. While it has
been a long time since the evolution of asthma in children was
thought to be irreversible, new research by Dr. Ducharme and
her collaborators shows there is new hope to improve not only the
control of the disease in the short term, but also the chances of
long-term remission, or a complete healing.
"It's a great honor to receive this exceptional support from
Scotiabank," said Maud Cohen,
President and CEO of the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation. "It is also
a privilege to make this announcement as part of the Banque Scotia
21k de Montreal, of which we were early participants.
The impact of this donation on the health of asthmatic children and
families visiting our emergency rooms will be major. All of this is
made possible thanks to Scotiabank. We are pleased to take
advantage of a charity sporting event as rallying as the Banque
Scotia 21k to show our immense
gratitude to this exceptional donor."
To celebrate this $1
million-dollar donation, Dr. Francine Ducharme, her colleagues and a team
from the Pediatric Emergency Department will join the thousands of
runners Saturday for the Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal race. They will run to raise
additional money through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge for the
CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation.
It's not too late to get involved in this year's Scotiabank
Charity Challenge:
- Register for an event: Register for Banque Scotia
21k de Montréal on the event
website until Friday, April 20 at 6 p.m.
- Fundraise: Once registered, sign up for
the Scotiabank Charity Challenge and raise funds for a
participating official charity.
- Share! Share your story behind why you support your
charity using #runScotia.
- Donate: Visit the Scotiabank Charity
Challenge to select an official charity and make a one-time
donation.
- Cheer: Support friends and family along the race
route and as they cross the finish line. You can also show your
support to runners online by using the hashtags #SCOTIA21KMTL and
#runScotia.
About the CHU Sainte-Justine
The Sainte-Justine university
hospital centre (CHU Sainte-Justine) is the largest mother-child
centre in Canada and the second
largest pediatric hospital in North
America. A member of the Université de Montréal extended
network of excellence in health (RUIS), Sainte-Justine has 5,664 employees, including
1,578 nurses and nursing assistants; 1,117 other healthcare
professionals; 502 physicians, dentists and pharmacists; 822
residents and over 200 researchers; 300 volunteers; and 3,400
interns and students in a wide range of disciplines. Sainte-Justine has 484 beds, including 35 at
the Centre de réadaptation Marie Enfant (CRME), the only
exclusively pediatric rehabilitation centre in Quebec. The World Health Organization has
recognized CHU Sainte-Justine as a "health promoting hospital."
chusj.org
About Scotiabank
At Scotiabank, we aim to support organizations that are committed
to helping young people reach their infinite potential. Young
people are our future leaders and Scotiabank's goal is to help
ensure that they have the necessary skills and resources they need
to support their success. Together with our employees, the Bank
supports causes at a grassroots level. Recognized as a leader for
our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, in 2017,
Scotiabank contributed more than $80
million to help our communities around the world.
Scotiabank is Canada's
international bank and a leading financial services provider in
North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and Asia-Pacific. We are dedicated to helping our
24 million customers become better off through a broad range of
advice, products and services, including personal and commercial
banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and
investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than
89,000 employees and assets of over $923
billion (as at January 31,
2018), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges
(NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com
and follow us on Twitter @Scotiabank.
SOURCE Scotiabank