Sept-Îles, September 26, 2012 — To mark the 50th anniversary of the Centre de santé et de services sociaux de Sept-Îles (CSSS) and the 2012 fundraising campaign of Fondation régionale Hôpital Sept-Îles, the Port of Sept-Îles is proud to announce the biggest monetary donation ever given to the Foundation, namely a quarter of million dollars.
The objective of this exceptional donation is to help the CSSS in its constant effort to improve services to the regional community and to offer tangible support by providing the necessary funds to consolidate and automate the CSSS laboratory. This sizeable community investment by the Port stems from its new policy on donations and contributions to the community. From now on, all of the Port of Sept-Îles’ major infrastructure projects will set aside funds for community initiatives that generate a maximum of impacts and spinoffs for Sept-Îles residents. In fact, it was the $220 million multi-user dock project that enabled the Port to make this major initial donation.
“We are very pleased to make this first big donation to the community in honor of the CSSS’s 50th anniversary and are delighted with the spinoffs and impact of this investment, which will increase the range and processing speed of tests for all hospital patients,” said Port of Sept-Îles president and CEO Pierre D. Gagnon and chairman Carol Soucy.
According to Martin Beaumont, executive director of CSSS de Sept-Îles, “The Port of Sept-Îles board just raised the bar! This is a remarkable example of community involvement that will affect thousands of Côte-Nord patients, as our laboratory carries out nearly 800,000 analyses a year. This donation will undoubtedly give an excellent return on investment, particularly by improving the quality of and access to care.”
This is the biggest corporate donation the Foundation has ever received and to highlight this fact, the CSSS’s testing centre has been named after the Port of Sept-Îles, and the Foundation has created a Diamond category for contributions of $250,000 and over.
Purchasing specialized analytical equipment for the laboratory will enable it to develop new tests, including breast and ovarian cancer screening. This is a wise investment that will enhance regional expertise and boost the diagnostic service’s productivity by reducing wait times. One of the CSSS’s strategic goals is to develop and maintain an array of equipment and IT to support their services. Fondation régionale Hôpital Sept-Îles has once again helped the CSSS take steps toward reaching this objective.
The Port of Sept-Îles and the Foundation is helping CSSS de Sept-Îles achieve its vision of becoming Côte-Nord residents’ best healthcare ally.
ABOUT THE PORT OF SEPT-ÎLES
www.portsi.com
With a full range of high-performance equipment, the Port of Sept-Îles is North America’s leading iron ore port and will become Canada’s second largest in terms of annual volume handled, with over 30 million tons expected in 2012.
Sept-Îles’ port facilities play a vital and strategic role in the operation of a number of businesses from the region’s primary sector. The Port’s annual economic impact is estimated at nearly $1 billion, with some4,000 direct and indirect jobs. Port activity at thePort of Sept-Îles therefore remains a significant source of wealth creation in Quebec and the rest of Canada.
ABOUT FONDATION RÉGIONALE HÔPITAL SEPT-ÎLES
www.fondationsept-iles.qc.ca
Fondation régionale Hôpital Sept-Îles’ mission is to raise funds in support of Centre de santé et de services sociaux de Sept-Îles in order to enhance the health and wellbeing of area residents by providing a range of health and social services.