Sudbury family donates $5M to improve pediatric care at HSN

A $5 million gift from OCP Construction Supplies and the Cousineau family will fund a new pediatric ambulatory care unit at Health Sciences North.

Health Sciences North in Sudbury has announced a $5 million donation to support the expansion of pediatric care in northeastern Ontario.

The money, which is from OCP Construction Supplies and the Cousineau family, was announced at an event Tuesday at the hospital.

Rick Cousineau, owner of OCP Construction, said his family has been blessed.

“And we’ve got an opportunity to give back a little bit to help and I think anybody would,” Cousineau said.

The Cousineau family’s personal experience with pediatric care at HSN inspired the donation. Rick’s daughter, Christine, received care at HSN but also had to travel to Toronto for many appointments.

She said that having to travel when she was sick took a toll.

“Struggling with mobility and struggling with being confined to a hospital bed for so long and then sitting in a car for so long, it’s not ideal,” Christine said.

Care closer to home

She’s gratified that her family’s donation will help sick children receive care closer to home.

Currently, demand for pediatric services is outpacing HSN’s space and resources. The Pediatric Ambulatory Care Unit lacks washrooms and spaces large enough for families to meet with their care teams.

HSN Foundation president Anthony Keating said the donation will help pay for a new space, called Cousineau Family Pediatrics.

“A space where all pediatric care is happening in the same space,” Keating said.

“Once we have that approval from the government on the next stage of the plan, we’ll be able to share more details around the specifics of what that looks like.”

HSN is already planning a major expansion that includes an ER with more capacity and an increase in hospital beds from 526 to 756 by 2034.

HSN president David McNeil said the added beds are urgently needed – right now, they have 630 patients admitted, far more than their number of beds to accommodate them.

“They’re residing in lounges and some of them are residing in a retirement home,” McNeil said.

“As you heard today, the needs of children are growing in northern Ontario. We are the hub for pediatric care in northern Ontario -- and the demands for care for children (are) growing.”

Officials said Tuesday’s donation was the largest donation to pediatric care in Northern Ontario history.