Yara Belle Plaine is no stranger to supporting our hospitals.

Since their first gift in 1995, Yara Belle Plaine has contributed more than $1.2 million to Hospitals of Regina Foundation in support of a variety of priority needs to help make sure the best possible health care is available, right here at home. In 2024, they generously donated $50,000 in support of our Cardiac Care Campaign.

Hospitals of Regina Foundation committed to raise $2.5 million to upgrade the second of two cardiac catheterization labs in the Mosaic Heart Centre, at the Regina General Hospital. The $50,000 donation from Yara Belle Plaine was matched by Municipal Hail Insurance as part of a $1 million matching gift for donations from our southern Saskatchewan community.

The catheterization labs are used to diagnose and treat critical cardiac problems related to the blockage of blood vessels to the heart. As a result of the blockages, the coronary arteries struggle to send enough blood, oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle. This reduced blood flow to the heart can cause fatigue, shortness of breath and chest pain. A complete blockage of blood flow can cause a heart attack.

The first catheterization lab was upgraded in 2020 and, with the upgrade of the second one, our medical teams will now have the state of art technology they need to deliver the very best care. The Mosaic Heart Centre is one of only two cardiac centres in the province and approximately 70 per cent of catheterization lab patients travel from outside of Regina. Last year, over 2,400 procedures took place in our catheterization labs.

“We are grateful for support from long-standing partners like Yara Belle Plaine. The investments made through our Cardiac Care Campaign will provide our medical teams with the tools they need to deliver the best cardiac care, right here at home,” President and CEO Dino Sophocleous says. “It is estimated that one in 12 Saskatchewan residents will experience cardiac issues in their lifetime, and we want to ensure the best possible care is available when it’s needed most for people across southern Saskatchewan.”

Heart disease and stroke accounts for almost 20 per cent of all deaths in Canada. Recently, the Government of Saskatchewan reported approximately 25 per cent of the adult population in our province had high blood pressure. Cardiac health is a significant issue, and a health care priority, for Saskatchewan.