Redesigned Operating Suite at NHH is a Reality Thanks to a Generous Donor

• September 30, 2019
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MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Release: September 30, 2019
 

Redesigned Operating Suite at NHH is a Reality Thanks to a Generous Donor

NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY- After receiving exceptional care at Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH), local citizen Bruno Harilaid was so inspired by the doctors and medical staff of NHH that he recently gave back in a big way, funding the complete renovation of one of the Hospital’s three operating rooms with a donation of $300,000.

“This state-of-the-art operating room features a design that takes into consideration today’s best practices for surgery. All of the required equipment is suspended from the ceiling and the technological and electrical requirements are buried within the walls, making the room sleek in design and much safer for the patient,” says Dr. Andrew Stratford, Chief of Surgery at NHH.

The completion of this exciting project was two years in the making, with Harilaid initially approaching the NHH Foundation in the fall of 2017 to inquire about a project he could fund to express his appreciation for the care provided to him by Internal Medicine Specialist and Chief of Staff at NHH, Dr. Mukesh Bhargava. Around this same time, one of the Hospital’s surgeons, Dr. Al-Ali, shared his vision of updating the sixteen-year-old operating rooms to keep pace with advancing technology and embrace medical innovation to ensure NHH continues to offer the best patient care.

“This is a story of a real win-win situation,” states Rhonda Cunningham, Executive Director of the NHH Foundation. “Bruno arrived in my office at the same time that the surgical services suite renovation was being proposed by the clinical team as a top priority. Each year, we work with our entire hospital team to identify and plan for what is needed most, and how we can help. We were able to match Bruno’s interest as a donor with high priority capital equipment needs and make Dr. Al-Ali’s vision a reality.”

Work to transform the operating room took place over the last two weeks of August, with the first surgery in the new space being conducted on September 4 of this year.

“We have excellent surgeons, anesthetists, nurses, equipment and now we have a cutting-edge operating room theatre that rivals what you would find in the bigger city hospitals,” says Tracey Chester, Registered Nurse for the Surgical Services Program. “We are so grateful to both the donor and the Foundation for making this happen.”

In the last fiscal year alone, NHH surgical services performed 5,116 surgical cases – 120 more than the year prior.

 “This is where we perform life-saving work, and thanks to the generosity of Mr. Harilaid, we can continue to provide the highest level of care to Northumberland patients,” states Dr. Stratford.