VAUGHAN, ON, Nov. 21, 2016 – Inspired by a family tradition of generosity and community leadership, Edward Sorbara, Marcella Tanzola and Gregory Sorbara have made a transformative gift pledge of $5 million to the future Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital.
In recognition of their pledge, the provincially acclaimed York Region District Stroke Centre at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital and the Integrated Stroke Centre at the future Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital will be named in honour of the Sorbara and Tanzola families.
Their father, Sam Sorbara, founder of the Vaughan-based Sorbara Group of Companies, passed away in 2002, 12 years after suffering a debilitating stroke. It was this experience that inspired the siblings to invest in stroke prevention, care and rehabilitation.
“Our commitment of $5 million to Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital continues a tradition that began with my father’s early success in business in Canada. This gift honours him,” says Marcella Tanzola.
“It’s a matter of creating a legacy that reflects how we’ve benefited from doing business in Vaughan and how important high-quality health care is in this community,” says Greg Sorbara, who is Chair of Mackenzie Health Foundation’s Exceptional Care Belongs Here campaign.
Mackenzie Health Foundation has undertaken the multi-year $250-million Exceptional Care Belongs Here campaign – the largest fundraising drive led by a community hospital in Canada – to help build and equip Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital and to enhance care at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital.
The siblings hope their gift will inspire others in the community to support the campaign for Mackenzie Health.
“We hope and expect that others in the building industry, who have benefited from the unparalleled growth in Vaughan and Richmond Hill, will join us in support of this much needed hospital,” Edward Sorbara says.
“The Sorbara family is leaving a legacy in the community with their kindness and generosity,” Mackenzie Health Foundation President and CEO Ingrid Perry says. “I am confident they will inspire others who have deep family and business roots in this community to join us at such a crucial stage of the Exceptional Care Belongs Here campaign.”
Mackenzie Health is one of just four hospitals in Canada to receive Stroke Distinction Accreditation, as well as the only hospital in the province to be recognized for excellence in both acute and rehabilitative stroke care.
“Mackenzie Health is truly grateful for this investment. It will further transform stroke care and recovery for patients and families,” Mackenzie Health President & CEO Altaf Stationwala says. “We are leaders in stroke care for the region. With this gift, Mackenzie Health is better positioned to improve and enhance our programs as we meet the needs of our fast-growing community.”
A celebration commemorating the family’s generosity will be held Friday, Nov. 25 in the Latif and Yasmin Fazel Family Atrium at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital (10 Trench St. Richmond Hill, ON – Level 1, A-Wing)
Construction for the new Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital began last month with the official groundbreaking celebration on Oct. 25, with completion expected in 2020
QUICK FACTS
- Mackenzie Health is a regional health care provider serving southwest York Region through a two-hospital model that includes Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital, the future Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, Canada’s first “smart” hospital, and a network of community sites in Richmond Hill, Vaughan and Barrie.
- Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital will be the first hospital in Canada with fully integrated “smart” technology, which features systems and medical devices that communicate directly to maximize information exchange and improve the patient experience.
- Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, which will provide an additional 342 beds, 1,800 full-time staff positions and 100 physician specialists to Mackenzie Health, will feature a state-of-the-art emergency department, surgical services and operating rooms, diagnostic imaging, specialized ambulatory clinics and intensive care beds, and approximately 90 percent acute care patient rooms will be private.
- Over the next three years, the project will employ more than 1,000 construction workers.
- Mackenzie Health Foundation is spearheading the $250-million Exceptional Care Belongs Here campaign – the largest fundraising drive led by a community hospital in Canada – to help build and equip Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital and enhance care at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital. The Foundation has raised more than $111 million for capital projects, medical equipment, technology and educational opportunities for Mackenzie Health since 1977.
- The integrated stroke unit at Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital will feature 30 private rooms and three semi-private rooms, with space for family to stay overnight, and an independent living suite where patients and their families can prepare for a safe return to home.
- The York Region District Stroke Centre program at Mackenzie Health is one of 17 district stroke centres in Ontario and is recognized as a provincial leader in best practice treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of stroke.
Photo opportunities will be available at the event.
Please contact Danielle Luciano to confirm attendance and for parking information.
– 30 –
Contact: Danielle Luciano, Coordinator, Donor Relations and Communications, Mackenzie Health Foundation Danielle.Luciano@mackenziehealth.ca, 905.883.1212, ext. 7806