Helping to Build a Healing Home for the Mind & Body
Frank Miller Makes $1 Million Gift to St. Joseph’s
You’ve read about it in the papers, and seen it on TV: The charitable sector has been deeply affected by this tumultuous economy, but Frank Charles Miller is doing his best to single-handedly tell the community that there’s never been a better time to give, and there’s never been a better cause than St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.
He states, “The needs of our Hospitals don’t change when the economy does. And we don’t know when we might need the care of a place like St. Joseph’s. We’ve all been hit by the dip in the economy, but we have to make sure the Hospital has the support it requires to look after us when we need it. It just makes sense.” And so, in early June Mr. Miller made a magnificent $1 million gift to support critical projects at St. Joseph’s, including the redevelopment of its West 5th Campus where plans are underway for a new, cutting-edge facility designed to meet the needs of those experiencing mental illness in our region while also offering medical and diagnostic services as part of an integrated full-service healthcare centre.
“The facility we’re planning isn’t a new asylum, it’s a welcoming place where people will feel comfortable asking for the help they need…whether they’re suffering from depression or diabetes, a broken bone or an anxiety disorder” said Dr. Robert Zipursky, Vice-President of Mental Health and Addiction Services and Chief of Psychiatry at St. Joseph’s.
This is Mr. Miller’s second major gift to St. Joseph’s Healthcare. In 2006, he donated $2 million to support the continuing education of residency students and healthcare professionals at the Hospital. His gift was honoured through the naming of St. Joseph’s Academic Centre and Amphitheatre. This time, Mr. Miller’s generosity will be recognized with a (yet to be determined) naming opportunity upon the completion of St. Joseph’s new West 5th Campus.
Hospital President and CEO, Dr. Kevin Smith said, “I am immensely thankful our Hospital has friends like Mr. Miller. He is not just a philanthropist, he’s a visionary who understands the needs of this Hospital, and the needs of the patients and families we serve.”
Mr. Miller couldn’t agree more. It was his understanding of the prevalence of mental illness, and the need for mental health services in our region that inspired him to make this gift. “Our family has been affected by mental health issues at one time or another…I think most families have. I’m happy to invest in this wonderful new facility at St. Joe’s…and I can’t wait to see it.”
Construction of the new facility at St. Joseph’s West 5th campus is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2010 with an estimated completion date of 2013/2014.
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