Mike Lazaridis gives $2M to Grand River Hospital
Hospital emergency department renamed the Lazaridis Family Foundation Emergency Department
Grand River Hospital has renamed its emergency department after Mike Lazaridis, one of the former CEO's of Research in Motion, gave the hospital foundation a $2 million gift.
Lazaridis and his wife Ophelia were at the hospital on Tuesday for the unveiling of the new Lazaridis Family Foundation Emergency Department.
"My wife and I are very pleased and honoured to be able to help out," Lazaridis said during a press conference. "This is something that is very important to us, it's very important to the community, and we're all too happy to be able to help out."
His donation will be used to digitize patient records and support the hospital's rapid access clinic, which opened in April and provides specialized treatment to individuals who have complex health needs, but do not need to be hospitalized.
"Emergency medicine is not for the faint of heart," said Tracey Bailey, president of the hospital foundation, in response to Lazaridis' gift. "As you can see, there are many smart and brave and passionate people here at Grand River Hospital, and they are going to deliver for the patients of this region with your assistance."
According to the hospital, the emergency department sees 65,000 patients a year.