Welcome to the Red Lake Hospital Foundation! The Foundation is proud to be affiliated with our Hospital and we are equally proud to play a key role in its future. Health Care Services are critical to any community, but to Northern communities, that are distant from easy access to the amenities of large cities, the provision of quality health care services is crucial. The Red Lake Margaret Cochenour Hospital Foundation is managed by an elected Board of Director with support of its members.

You Can Help!
Volunteer!
FAQ’s

Our community is dependent upon successful mining, logging, and tourism businesses, all of which attract young families to the area. Young families need ready access to diagnostic and therapeutic services. Equally important is the ready access to modern emergency services that are inevitably required by young and old alike as well as by the large number of tourists that come to our area annually.

The Foundation is currently assisting in raising funds to support much needed diagnostic equipment for the Hospital including a new Ultrasound Machine, Hematology Analyzer and Colonoscope. The funding total for these machines is $320,000.00. While this may seem like an extraordinary sum, the benefit to the community of having state of the art diagnostic tools available cannot be measured by dollars alone.

As government funding becomes more limited, the hospital is increasingly reliant on its partners to provide funding to enable it to provide modern services and equipment.

You Can Help
There are different ways and degrees in which you can help the Foundation. These would include gifts or donations to the Foundation as well as membership in the Foundation up to and including sitting as a Director.

Gifts can be made in the following ways:

• Pre-authorized debit enabling an easy, monthly transfer of your donation from your bank account to the foundation;
• Charge Card: you can authorize a one-time or a regular monthly donation to be processed through your Visa or Master Card;
• One time gift: we will gladly send you a donation form and stamped envelope for ease of making a one time gift;
• Memorial Gift: you may wish to make a gift to memorialize a friend or loved one who has died;
• Gifts can be made in person at the front desk at the hospital, at the Foundation Office by the hospital lobby or by mail.
• Wills and Bequests or Insurance Gifts – please contact our office for further information on these gifts.

Volunteer! Volunteer! Volunteer!
We need your help with multiple activities. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Foundation, simply contact the Foundation Office to submit your name. Members are needed to assist with the special events and at all levels. As well, you bring fresh perspective to the fundraising activities of the Foundation. Many hands make for light work! If you would like to volunteer at events as a non-member, the Foundation is grateful for your support and interest. Again, contact the Office to let us know how you would like to help.

FAQ’s

Q: How do I know that the money that I give is not used for normal operation of the Hospital?
A: Gifts to the Foundation are transferred to the hospital on the basis of a formal procedure in which the hospital undertakes to use all such funds for their designated purpose. For instance, if a donor makes a gift to support purchase of a wheelchair, the funds are passed on to the hospital upon presentation of proof of purchase by the hospital so that there is always a clear audit trail. The law and good accounting practice are both pretty clear on such matters.

Q: Doesn’t government finance hospitals?
A: Only in part. The LHIN funds us approx. 75% of our operating needs. The balance is the responsibility of the hospital, which generates revenue by charging for parking, generating revenue through offering other services such as the day care program, out of country patients as some examples. For major building projects the Ministry of Health pays 50-75%, depending on the project again with the balance of the project the responsibility of the Hospital.

Capital equipment is the funded 100% by the Hospital. The Hospital can use its reserves. This is where the Hospital Foundation comes into play and fundraises for item(s) needed to maintain a high standard of health care within the Red Lake area. Most hospitals rely on fundraising by their Foundation, and local service groups such as the auxiliary, lions club, etc.

Q: Who runs our Foundation?
A: The Red Lake Hospital Foundation is governed by an elected Board of Directors comprised of volunteers from across the community who are members of the Foundation. They invest their time and resources because they are committed to the community and love their hospital. The foundation is incorporated as a corporate entity separate and “arms length” from the hospital.

Q: What has the foundation done in the past?
A: The foundation was rejuvenated by a receipt of a generous contribution from the Cochenour Foundation of $200,000. From that beginning, the Board was formed and the Foundation raised $1 million in The Future Is Ours Campaign. Each year the Foundation promotes events which raise the profile of the Foundation and raise funds. Most recently, the Friends of the Foundation Golf Tournament has become an annual event and successful fund raising venue for the Foundation. In the future, the foundation hopes to develop sources of new funds by promoting regular giving by individuals, sourcing and applying to the many granting agencies that exist in Canada, and promoting planned giving through wills, bequests, and insurance instruments.

Q: How do I arrange to include the Foundation in my Will?
A: Do you have a will? If not, a disproportionate share of your estate, whether large or small, will go to pay taxes. We will help you prepare your will and encourage you to include the Hospital Foundation as a beneficiary. By doing this, you perpetuate your good name prominently in the community for years to come.

Q: What is an Insurance Gift:
A: You can purchase life insurance with the Foundation as the named beneficiary, the premiums for which are tax deductible. You get a tax receipt; the foundation receives the benefit of the policy upon your passing. Many people are finding this to be a dignified way to give back to their community.