Foundation Receives Donation

Premier Pat Binns today presented a cheque for $55,000 to the O'Leary Community Hospital Foundation.

Premier Binns, in O'Leary to meet with representatives of the Foundation, says the donation corrects a previous wrong. "The community-based group suffered a set back when they had to use Foundation funds to help pay for a legal battle to keep the hospital open. The Foundation had no choice. A hospital is a very important aspect of a community and the Foundation was acting on behalf of the community. They succeeded, and they paid all the bills, but it meant money was not available to address other needs, and today I would like to present this donation as a way of saying it would have been better if the fight had never been necessary."

The Premier says some residents still doubt the commitment of government to maintain hospitals, and I hope this will also serve as a demonstration of the fact we believe in your hospital and in your community. "We are not always able to provide as much funding as we would like, nor as much as communities believe necessary. But, that does not mean we don't understand the needs."

Premier Binns says the funds will be used by the Foundation to continue its support of health services at the hospital.