Cardiac Care at Regina’s General Hospital will reach greater heights, thanks to a new partnership between Hospitals of Regina Foundation and Municipal Hail Insurance. Municipal Hail Insurance has pledged a $1 million matching gift for donations from the community, in support of the Foundation’s $2.5 million new Cardiac Care Campaign to upgrade the technology in the second Catheterization Lab, in the Mosaic Heart Centre, at Regina's General Hospital. This exceptional commitment means every donor dollar from the community will have double the impact. 
 
“Approximately 70% of patients at the Catheterization Lab are from outside Regina and a US study, released in 2019, tracked the cause of death for farm workers between 1994 and 2019. Within that group, 70% of farmer deaths were related to heart disease. This connection to our agricultural sector made Municipal Hail Insurance’s support of the Cardiac Care Campaign a natural fit,” says Rodney Schoettler, CEO of Municipal Hail Insurance. “We are excited to announce a $1 million matching donation to help support cardiac care and save lives in our province.”
 
Cardiologists use the Catheterization (Cath) Labs to diagnose and treat numerous heart conditions, using leading-edge imaging technology; as the need for their services rises, ensuring they have up-to-date technology is of the utmost importance in providing exemplary cardiac care in southern Saskatchewan. The first Cath Lab was upgraded in 2020; Hospitals of Regina Foundation has now committed to upgrade the critical systems within the second Cath Lab to ensure that our cardiac specialists have the latest technology and equipment available to them.   
 
Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO Andrew Will says providing patients in Regina and southern Saskatchewan with high quality cardiac care has been realized due to the support of many. “We are proud of the outstanding cardiac care provided in Regina. To be able to sustain this level of care through the Hospitals of Regina Foundation’s investment in our Cath Labs, and Municipal Hail Insurance’s fantastic generosity, is a huge win for the southern Saskatchewan community.”
 
Interventional cardiologists, working in our Cath Labs, diagnose and treat coronary artery disease: critical heart problems related to the blockage of blood vessels to the heart, helping thousands of people in our community. Last year, almost 2,500 procedures were completed in the Catheterization Labs in Regina, including 88 TAVI (transcatheter aortic valve implantation) procedures, a 300% increase since 2016 when our cardiac team first offered this procedure to patients in Saskatchewan. As the population ages, the need for skilled cardiac care will increase.  
 
“This campaign will significantly improve the level of cardiac care in southern Saskatchewan,” said Dino Sophocleous, president and CEO, Hospitals of Regina Foundation. “Thanks to the leadership and generosity of Municipal Hail Insurance, and with the support of our community, we will fund the cutting edge technology our hospitals need to to ensure the people of southern Saskatchewan have access to the best cardiac care possible, right here at home.”