"I think we had a very strong show of support from the downtown business improvement district for moving forward with planning a new regional hospital", said Ken Chyz, chair of the YBID.
"We had 54 of our members make a donation, for a total of over $58,000. I think that speaks to the generosity of our members and it is a very strong endorsement of both planning for a new hospital, but also recognition that we need a new regional hospital," continued Mr. Chyz.
"We sent a letter out to our members in the fall, explaining that we thought this was a very worthwhile project that The Health Foundation and the health region were working on. We asked our members to make a donation to help move the process forward and to demonstrate that the business community supports this project," said Phil Devos, Executive Director of YBID. "Clearly that was a message that resonated well with our members, because they have been very generous," continued Mr. Devos.
"We were very pleased when the YBID Executive met with us and explained they thought planning a new regional hospital was a very good idea and they would like to work with us to help bring a new hospital to the Region," said Ross Fisher, Executive Director of The Health Foundation.
"When you have the business community actively speaking on behalf of the work you are doing, it helps to establish in the greater community that we really do need to be planning for a new regional hospital. I think YBID working with us reinforces that a new regional hospital makes a lot of sense for our area," continued Mr. Fisher.
