Local Couple Donate $1 Million to PRHC Foundation

Local philanthropists Martin and Denise Pick have made a $1 million donation to the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation while unveiling a new sign recognizing the couple’s efforts.

(left to right) Denise Pick; Martin Pick; Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation President & CEO; Dr. Lynn Mikula, PRHC President & CEO; Charles Pick, Denise and Martin’s son , Dr. Rardi Van Heest, daughter-in-law and Dr. Joslin Cheverie, PRHC General Surgeon. Photo courtesy of PRHC.

Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation President and CEO said the donation represents the Pick’s life-long love of community and shared dedication to improving the lives of friends and neighbours.

“Martin and Denise believe in the power of philanthropy to make their hospital and hometown great,” she said. “They have a long history of making transformational gifts and their generosity has been shaping the future of healthcare in this region for years. We’re beyond grateful for their continued support.”

The couple, who both have long-standing relationships with PRHC as donors and volunteers, said they were inspired by the hospital's continuous commitment to innovation and excellence.

“Denise and I feel that the quality of healthcare available in a community is tied to its overall quality of life – to its ability to grow and prosper,” said Martin. “We want to help make sure the doctors and nurses at PRHC have the tools they need to deliver the best care. To do that, we need to support them and give them the equipment that will allow them to innovate.”

“The more we can do to support PRHC, the more we can help improve healthcare for patients from Peterborough and our surrounding communities,” said Denise. “We hope our donation encourages others to join us.”

The Picks’ donation was made through the Remembering Otto and Marie Pick Charitable Foundation, a family charitable fund named for Martin’s parents. Lesley explained that the gift is already improving care for patients across the region through investments in minimally invasive intervention and state-of-the-art diagnostic technology.

“The Pick family’s gift was instrumental in allowing PRHC to upgrade a general operating suite with state-of-the-art minimally invasive surgical tools this winter – one of four suites undertaken by the Foundation,” she said.

“(The investment) has given my colleagues and me access to brand new, leading-edge equipment to perform cancer surgeries,” said Dr. Joslin Cheverie, PRHC general surgeon. “This new, specialized system is letting us operate with increased precision. It’s an advancement that has tremendous potential for the treatment of bowel and other cancers.”

The remainder of the Picks’ gift helped fund two new, cutting-edge CT scanners that generate higher-quality, more comprehensive images to support safer, more accurate diagnoses. The expansion and upgrading of the Health Centre’s Interventional Radiology suites is also ensuring PRHC’s experts can treat more urgent and chronic conditions like cancer, stroke, and traumatic injury without invasive surgery.

“It’s so encouraging to have the support of people like Martin and Denise Pick, who care as much about our healthcare future as we do and are willing to invest in us and the technology we need to make our vision a reality,” said Dr. Lynn Mikula, PRHC President and CEO. “This is more important than ever, given the system-wide challenges we are facing,” she continued. “Addressing these challenges requires fresh thinking and innovative solutions. We simply can’t move forward without the partnership of individuals, families, and organizations who share our vision for the hospital and what we can achieve together.”

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