Welcome to our eleventh issue of QEII Times. Thanks to our partners at The Chronicle Herald and our advertisers, QEII Times continues to highlight key advancements at the QEII Health Sciences Centre and focus a spotlight on the healthcare teams that make it happen, every single day.

With the holiday season soon upon us, our thoughts often turn to giving. In fact, according to Statistics Canada’s Charitable giving by individuals report, 82 per cent of Canadians aged 15 years and older made donations to charitable organizations totaling $12.8-billion. That’s just over 24 million Canadians.

The QEII Foundation Board of Trustees and staff are proud to be a part of the 24 million generous Canadians. Inspired to give back to the organization they work so hard to support every day, 100 per cent of the Trustees and staff make a charitable contribution to the QEII Foundation each year.

What inspires you to give? The top reasons for giving cited in the Statistics Canada report are feeling compassionate toward helping people (92 per cent), helping a cause they believe in (88 per cent), and making a contribution to their community (82 per cent). Philanthropy is a core source of funding for health organizations and giving trends show that Canadians understand this. Forty-eight per cent of respondents in the study made at least one donation to a health organization, like the QEII.

As the largest adult health sciences centre east of Montreal, the QEII takes care of Atlantic Canadians when they need it most. The QEII serves as the local community hospital for immediate care and emergency services, as well as the specialized care centre for Atlantic Canada in areas such as heart health, cancer care, neurosurgery and organ transplantation. In addition to providing the most advanced care available, the QEII is a leading medical research and teaching centre for tomorrow's healthcare professionals.

This year we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the QEII and the QEII Foundation. On pages four and five of this issue, you will see some of the milestones we’ve reached along the way. These past twenty years haven’t been marked by calendar days or months, but by moments of impact experienced every day by QEII patients and their loved ones.

As the province plans for the redevelopment of the QEII, the QEII Foundation will be there every step of the way. Together, we are planning health care for the next 50 years, and the new milestones we’ll mark along the way, including our new From the Heart campaign. From the time of diagnosis, to surgery, to the outpatient experience, through to research and prevention – our collective vision will transform heart health at the QEII for the thousands of Atlantic Canadians who visit the QEII each year for heart health care.

As you enter the season of giving, we encourage you to support what matters to you. Consider supporting health care for today and for future generations. Because we believe that health truly does matter most.