May 9, 2007
Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation > Media Room > May 9, 2007

^{McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada supports new Emergency Centre}

Surrey, B.C. – McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada is supporting Surrey Memorial Hospital with a $200,000 gift towards pediatric emergency care.

The amount will go to the children’s section of the new Emergency Centre and is part of Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation’s $15-million Emergency Centre Campaign, which was launched April 19th, 2007.  So far, the Foundation has raised $8.7 million.

"We are very grateful to have the involvement of McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada," says Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation Emergency Centre Campaign Chair Chris Midmore. "McDonald’s has a long history of supporting Surrey Memorial Hospital, including the Children’s Health Centre that opened in 2001. This latest contribution means thousands of families each year will benefit from an improved children’s ER."

Surrey Memorial Hospital’s current ER – the busiest in B.C. - was designed to handle about 44-thousand visits a year but has instead been seeing close to 70-thousand patients a year. Last year, 20% of patients to the ER were children.

The new Emergency Centre will include a separate children’s ER, as well as a separate mental health and addictions area, an enhanced minor treatment unit, and an improved area for acute patients.

The children section will be bright and family-oriented and will include fully-equipped nursing stations as well as a dedicated bed area.

The B.C. government has committed to funding the essentials of a replacement to Surrey Memorial Hospital’s current E.R. The Foundation’s $15-million campaign will ensure the new Emergency Centre is state-of-the-art. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2008.

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For more information or interviews, contact:
Jason Howe
Media Relations Manager
Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation
^{jason.howe[at]fraserhealth.ca
www.smhfoundation.com}
604-585-5666 ext 8284
cell: 604-613-6873