A Guelph couple is donating to the Guelph General Hospital to support mental health initiatives for staff.
The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital announced on Monday that it received a gift of $150,000 from Bill and Colleen Koornstra. In return, the foundation has established the Bill and Colleen Koornstra Health and Wellness Fund.
This fund will support programming and activities that promote, support or advance the mental health and well-being of the hospital’s staff.
“This donation is the first of its kind for the community,” Julie Byczynski, CEO of the foundation, said in a statement. “It helps our hospital invest in its most precious resource, the staff and physicians of GGH.”
Byczynski added that the hospital and the foundation are very fortunate to have donors like the Koornstras who want to have an impact on the wellness of health-care providers and are willing to step outside the norm.
Some of the donated funds have been used to provide chair massages and healthy meals for staff.
“We are listening to what supports our staff and physicians would like to see,” said Karen Suk-Patrick, vice-president of people, culture and community.
“We will be rolling out additional programs to promote staff well-being thanks to the Koornstras’ support.”
According to the news release, the fund is intended to be spent over the next three years and will help the hospital foster a culture of openness around mental health and its importance at the hospital.