Cardiac care in Regina will reach greater heights, thanks to a new partnership between Hospitals of Regina Foundation and Municipal Hail Insurance. Municipal Hail Insurance has pledged to match donations from the community up to $1 million, in support of the Foundation’s new $2.5 million Cardiac Care Campaign to upgrade technology in the second Catheterization Lab (cath lab) at Regina's General Hospital. This exceptional commitment means every donor dollar will have double the impact.

The new campaign was launched on April 16, at the Regina General Hospital, with a number of dignitaries in attendance, including the former Minister of Health, Everett Hindley and Regina’s former Mayor, Sandra Masters.

“Approximately 70% of patients at the Catheterization Lab come from outside Regina. A 2019 US study tracked the cause of death for farm workers between 1994 and 2019, concluding that 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”, said Rodney Schoettler, CEO of Municipal Hail Insurance.

Interventional cardiologists, working in our two 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. Created in 2006 as part of a $6.2 million investment by the Foundation in the Mosaic Heart Centre, the first Cath Lab was upgraded in 2020. The Foundation will upgrade the second Cath Lab through our new Cardiac Care Campaign.

Last year, more than 2,400 procedures were completed in the Cath Labs at Regina’s General Hospital, with more than 70% of those patients living in rural areas outside of Regina. With a growing need for procedures such as a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), a procedure that allows for a new heart valve to be implanted using a catheter, the upgraded technology will help our medical teams provide patients with the best cardiac care possible.

“This campaign will help us to significantly improve the level of cardiac care in southern Saskatchewan, thanks to the leadership and generosity of Municipal Hail and the support of our community”, said Dino Sophocleous, president and CEO, Hospitals of Regina Foundation.