ST. PAUL - It was an impressive start to fundraising efforts by the St. Paul & District Hospital Foundation to get a CT scanner at the St. Paul hospital on Saturday night, with about $200,000 raised.
The foundation aims to raise $1 million for the CT scanner project.
The $200,000 total does not include a $120,000 donation from the St. Paul Healthcare Auxiliary. The group used to run the gift shop at the hospital, but has since closed its doors, donating the remaining funds to the CT scanner cause.
Several groups helped kick-start the initiative, including the St. Paul Legion with a donation of $15,000. Legion members took to the stage during the April 5 event, with member Peter Bednarchuk speaking about how the group wanted to be “trailblazers” and join the cause.
“Our mandate is community,” said Bednarchuk.
He noted that having a CT scanner in St. Paul would save residents countless hours and trips to Cold Lake and Edmonton. Having a CT scanner in St. Paul would also take pressure off those locations, and would hopefully result in shorter wait times and faster diagnosis for all patients.
Town of St. Paul Maureen Miller also spoke to the crowd on Saturday night, thanking everyone who made the night possible.
“They pulled off an amazing event,” said Miller. She noted that often, people who organize events like the gala are quiet, gentle people who work in the background, which she felt was true of the current foundation board.
Miller thanked St. Therese-St. Paul Healthcare Centre site manager Jamie Malone for her work at the hospital over the last few years. Miller noted that Malone pushed for a site assessment at the hospital, which has confirmed the need for a CT scanner in St. Paul.
Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul MLA Scott Cyr confirmed that a CT scanner in St. Paul is his “number one priority.”
He also made sure to note that St. Paul has one of the oldest hospitals in the province – second only to Beaverlodge, but that community is in the process of getting a new hospital.
Soon, the St. Therese-St. Paul Healthcare Centre will be the oldest hospital in the province, to which Cyr noted, “challenge accepted.”
He later posted on social media, stating, “I . . . shared with the attendees that the St. Therese Hospital in St. Paul is now the oldest hospital in Alberta, having been built in 1926. It’s an incredible piece of our history, and while we’re proud of the care it continues to provide, it’s clear that it’s time for our community to consider the future of healthcare in St. Paul.”
History was a common theme throughout the night, and a big piece of history within St. Paul healthcare was the decades-long career of Dr. Harvey Woytiuk. A live painting by artist Herman Poulin was created during the evening, and near the end of the live auction, was sold for $15,000 – purchased through a joint partnership between Value Drug Mart and H.P. Woytiuk.
Woytiuk, who recently retired after over 40 years of working as a physician in St. Paul, took to the stage on Saturday night also.
He offered a thank-you to the community, and his family for their support over the years. He acknowledged mentors such as Dr. Roland Decosse and Dr. Leon Trottier.
Woytiuk noted that St. Paul quickly became home when he arrived to gain experience many years ago. He added, staying in the community was the right decision.
Plans to possibly create limited editions of the print to continue to fundraise for the cause are in motion, with more details of that project being released in the near future.
Malone also took time to speak on Saturday, thanking the foundation for putting on the fundraiser.
“There’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes,” said Malone.
Foundation chairperson Ron Wirsta addressed the crowd briefly. Paying tribute to the western theme of the gala, he thanked everyone for their support noting, “You can’t drive a herd alone.”
