2021-2022 Annual Report

Vital Support for Vital Care

Our fundraising campaign, CODE LiFE: Vital Support for Vital Care, was an unprecedented achievement in the history of the Montreal General Hospital Foundation. Thanks to you, we are able to support dedicated medical teams and innovative projects in five important areas of expertise. Thank you to all donors, partners and the incredible Campaign Cabinet!

All about the campaign

A Word From Our President and Chairman

Launched in 2018, the CODE LiFE Campaign was the most ambitious in our Foundation’s history. We called upon our community to help us raise $100 million in order to provide vital support for vital care, and you answered that call. Thanks to your generosity, we were able to exceed that goal. Together, we raised $110 million. The impact of this campaign will resonate far beyond the walls of the Montreal General Hospital (MGH-MUHC) as patients from 40 front-line hospitals across the Province are frequently referred to our experts. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you all for allowing us to support the medicine of the future and cutting-edge research in Québec.

Jean-Christophe Bédos and Jean-Guy Gourdeau

Download the Impact Report (PDF)

A Generous and Committed Community

Our donors and Governors play a vital role in our ability to provide vital care to our community. Divided into four distinct categories, our Governors represent donors of the Montreal General Hospital Foundation who gave $250 or more over the past year.

See the list of Governors

Sections at a Glance

Trauma – Personalized Cancer Care – Research and Innovation – Brain and Mental Health – Healthy Aging

Signature Events – Corporate Partners – 200th Anniversary of the MGH – Financial Report – Volunteers

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Trauma

Since the 1990s, Dr. David S. Mulder has worked to build the trauma system in the province of Québec. With your support, he has trained a whole new generation of trauma specialists who are in turn helping to build teams here and around the world.

The Trauma Centre of the MGH-MUHC, which now bears his name, is one of only three centres in Québec with the level of specialization required to treat the most complex cases. Thanks to the generosity of donors to the CODE LiFE Campaign, the MGH Foundation was able to contribute to the refurbishment and renovation of the trauma bays.

Watch the CODE LiFE interview on trauma

“We can now better serve patients who often arrive in very poor condition, but also from a vast territory, including the South Shore of Montréal, the Montérégie and Northern Québec. Each of these negative pressure rooms has its own workstation equipped with screens, allowing us to monitor the patient’s condition with sound, image and vital signs, even from a distance.”

– Dr. Tarek Razek, Director of the Adult Trauma Program, MGH-MUHC

Learn more about trauma

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Personalized Cancer Care

For over 15 years, the generosity of our visionary donors has supported the recruitment, training and retention of top surgeons and researchers. As a result, the Division of Thoracic Surgery and Oncology at the MGH-MUHC has risen to the level of a Provincial Centre of Excellence for the treatment of lung, esophageal and gastric cancers.

With their living biobank and “organ-on-a-chip” technology, researchers are able to replicate their patient’s cancer and the environment in which it is growing. The team can then use laboratory tests to choose the best treatment. This increases the chances of survival while limiting the suffering of patients.

“Thanks to you and to the work of our teams in the clinic, the operating room and the laboratory, our patients have a much better chance of survival than they did 10 years ago. They also undergo less invasive surgeries and benefit from personalized treatments.”

– Dr. Lorenzo Ferri, director of the Division of Thoracic Surgery, and the Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Program, MGH-MUHC

Learn more about thoracic surgery

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Research and Innovation

In September 2021, we inaugurated the Clinical Innovation Platform (CLIP) powered by National Bank, a new and unique incubator for biotechnologies, within the Montreal General Hospital. CLIP aims to support the development of innovative solutions to meet clinical needs and to accelerate the adoption of technologies on the market and in the healthcare system.

“I am delighted to begin my tenure as the head of the Research Institute of the MUHC with the launch of this unique initiative. The pandemic has proven that innovation and multidisciplinary collaboration are essential. I am impressed by the strong community support for research and innovation in Montréal. The CLIP platform could not exist without the support of donors like National Bank who offered a generous donation of $2 million. Thank you for believing in us!”

– Dr. Rhian Touyz, Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer, RI-MUHC

Discover CLIP

CODE LiFE Awards

In 2021, we had the pleasure of disbursing over 300 awards, totaling $2.5 million. Thanks to a generous gift from the estate of Herta Vodstrcil, we were able to launch a program totaling $2.7 million to support continuous training, innovation and access to university education in the field of nursing.

Support for nursing education

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Brain and Mental Health

“Thanks to the support of the MGH Foundation, the Mental Health Mission is able to offer specialized care to a greater number of patients. In addition, we are able to receive them in a more welcoming space. Moreover, we are pushing the envelope to improve therapeutic techniques and the organization of care delivery. Among other things, we have launched the remarkable Centre for Precision Psychiatry, which is collating phenomenological, biological, brain imaging and treatment progression data so that we will ultimately be better able to predict which specific treatment will be effective for which patient at which time. I consider all donors as part of our team, together we are transforming mental health little by little. Thank you so much!”

– Dr. Karine J. Igartua, Psychiatrist-in-Chief, MUHC Mental Health Mission

Learn more about the MUHC Mental Health Mission

In 2022, we were pleased to announce a $1.25 million gift to support mental health care. This significant investment was made possible through a matching gift campaign sponsored by The Rossy Foundation, Hewitt Foundation and Senator W. David Angus.

What projects are supported

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Healthy Aging

Thanks to you, our geriatric teams are developing tools and undertaking research to help their patients get back in shape, preserve their independence and slow the effects of aging on the brain.

A good example of this is the Senior Adult Fitness Exercises (SAFE) program, which began in 2021 and will be rolled out to the public in 2022. SAFE offers a series of exercise videos to help frail seniors regain fitness in an effort to prevent falls and overcome their fear of falling.

“As we age, the body and brain need to be stimulated in a different way, to prevent injuries and falls, and to slow physical and cognitive aging. Our team works in collaboration with patients and their loved ones, but also with their various health care providers, to ensure that their needs are heard.”

– Dr. José A. Morais, Director of the Division of Geriatrics, MGH-MUHC

Learn more about Healthy Aging

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Signature Events

Hockey 911: More than $250,000 for Vital Care

On September 22, 2021, hundreds of participants gathered virtually to attend the third edition of Hockey 911. The benefit event, following the format of a talk show hosted by Gregory Charles, highlighted the stories linking the MGH medical teams to the public’s favourite hockey players: Marc Bergevin, Paul Byron, Mélodie Daoust, Mario Lemieux, Marie-Philip Poulin and Carey Price.

Learn more about Hockey 911

Golf Classic: $480,000 to Fight Cancer

On June 21, 2021, the Montreal General Hospital Foundation and the Cedars Cancer Foundation partnered to celebrate the 42nd Annual Cedars Golf Classic. The event held at the Royal Montreal Golf Club was a great success, selling out weeks in advance and raising $480,000 to support cancer patients and their medical teams.

Learn more about the Golf Classic

Run for Women: $225,000 for Mental Health

From July 4 to 11, 2021, close to 1300 participants walked and ran in the location of their choice, participating in the virtual edition of the Pharmaprix LOVE YOU Run for Women. Together, they raised $225,702 in support of the MUHC Mental Health Mission.

Learn more about the Run

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Thank You To Our Corporate Partners

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200th Anniversary of the MGH : CODE LiFE Interviews

As part of the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Montreal General Hospital, the Foundation produced a series of live interviews on current issues: innovation, trauma, mental health, the pandemic, philanthropy and medical research.

Watch the interviews

Don’t Miss This Virtual Exhibition

This exhibition takes visitors on a journey through 200 years of hospital history, medical innovation and exceptional people. Visit: mgh200.com

Visit the exhibit

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Financial Report

See the financial statements

We are so grateful to our community and partners for their incredible generosity. In the last fiscal year, from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, we raised $21.4 million in donations! Once again, major gifts accounted for a large portion of revenue, as did annual gifts and estates. Every gift counts, regardless of type or size.

Our strong financial management has also resulted in an additional $4.6 million in net investment income and $0.5 million from other revenues, for a total of $26.5 million in FY 2021-2022.

The pandemic made us all realized the importance of research to protect the health of our community, and to provide vital support for vital care. This is why we provided $6.3M in support to research and $1.4M in education for furthering the knowledge of our medical teams. Taking care of our patients is a high priority: we allocated $6.6M to support patient care and improve patient experience.

Once again this year, we are proud to have maintained a low ratio of administrative expenses to total revenues of only 7.8%. All of your donations are used to meet priority needs, as administrative expenses are covered by our investment income.

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Volunteers

We would like to thank all the volunteers who are involved with the Foundation. A special thank you to our Board of Directors and to our CODE LiFE Leaders, a circle of volunteers who act as ambassadors in their communities to support the MGH Foundation’s fundraising activities.

Our CODE LiFE Leaders

Our Board of Directors