“When you come from a big city, you almost take for granted that you’ll have access to any healthcare you need close by,” shares Pam Went. “This access shouldn’t just be a convenience of city-living, it should be a right for us all – we need better health equity.”

Pam and her husband, Steve, had long planned upon their retirement to leave the Toronto area in which they lived and worked to settle in a smaller town. They knew they wanted to move east of the city, so they started their search for their new community by travelling to Napanee and then driving back towards Toronto, stopping in small towns and villages along the way. When they stopped in Cobourg for lunch, it felt right. There was a welcoming feeling and a friendliness in Northumberland that first drew them in and having now lived in Hamilton Township since 2004, they are pleased this feeling still remains.

After graduating from the University of Waterloo, Pam began her career in 1970 as a summer student with Bell Canada and worked her way up to Senior Vice President and an Officer of the Company before retiring in 2003. She has a passion for governance and has been giving back to the communities in which she’s lived by serving as a director and executive board member with a variety of non-profit organizations since 1994. Since moving to Northumberland, she has volunteered her time with Habitat for Humanity Northumberland, Northumberland United Way, Northumberland 100 Women with Heart, and Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) – beginning on the NHH Board as a Community Member in 2013 before joining as a Director in 2015. She is in her third year as NHH Board Chair.

In a way, Pam sees her support of our local hospital and involvement on the Exceptional Community, Exceptional Care Campaign Cabinet as an investment in both her and Steve’s future. It is an investment in the future of her friends and neighbours; and in the future health and prosperity of the community that has welcomed her so openly.