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Domtar Donates $1 million to the Joint Corporate Campaign of the MUHC / CHUM

The Fondation du Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) and the McGill University Health Centre Foundation (MUHC) announced today that Domtar is donating $1 million to their Joint Corporate Campaign. The funds will be used to support the redevelopment projects of the two academic healthcare institutions.

“Domtar is proud to be associated with the McGill University Health Centre and the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal. Caring is at the heart of Domtar’s core values and we believe that it is an essential part of our responsibility to support projects that look to the future,” said John Williams, president and chief executive officer of Domtar.

From left : John A. Rae, chairman of the MUHC’s The Best Care for Life Campaign; Norman M. Steinberg, executive committee member of the MUHC’s The Best Care for Life Campaign; Normand Rinfret, interim director general and CEO of the MUHC; France Denis, co-chair of Best Care for Life Campaign; Guy Savard, chairman of the Fondation du CHUM Capital Campaign Cabinet; John Williams, president and chief executive officer of Domtar; Dr. François Lespérance, directeur général adjoint – affaires médicales et académiques et directeur des services professionnels du CHUM; Yvon Deschamps, Fondation du CHUM’s volunteer spokesperson; Ékram Antoine Rabbat, president and CEO of the Fondation du CHUM

The new MUHC and CHUM facilities are currently under construction and will meet the highest standards of 21st-century medical infrastructure. Strategically located and technologically advanced, the hospitals and research facilities are being designed to provide patients with the highest level of specialized care in a healing environment, while also accommodating the innovative research and teaching for which both institutions are renowned.

“The fact that Domtar has chosen to launch its revitalized philanthropic program by contributing so generously to the MUHC and CHUM campaigns highlights the value and commitment the company places in ensuring world-class health care here at home,” said Normand Rinfret, interim director general and CEO of the MUHC. “It is thanks to gifts such as this one from Domtar that we will provide our researchers and clinicians with the facilities and technologies that they need to investigate the root causes of complex illnesses and offer Quebecers the compassionate, family and patient-centred care they need and deserve.”

“This donation represents an investment in the future of our society and will help work toward a healthy Quebec,” underlined Christian Paire, director general and CEO of the CHUM. “In practical terms, this commitment will mean the creation of a fund at the CHUM targeting the launching of innovative research projects in mental health, an important issue in population health. There will be three areas of focus: clinical research for new therapeutic approaches to drug addiction, the impact of emerging technologies in psychiatric neuromodulation for refractory clinical conditions and research into systems of patient care in urban psychiatry. Like the CHUM, Domtar sees the great importance of promoting well-being, a vision which coincides perfectly with today’s goals in mental health, namely complete recovery, return to normal and active family and socio-professional life. This generous contribution from Domtar will support the efforts of CHUM staff as they work to better understand the causes of problems in mental health which affect our patients, to innovate both in prevention and in treatment. The scope of this action is far ranging and we are deeply grateful,” he concluded.

Norman M. Steinberg, an executive committee member of the MUHC’s Best Care for Life Campaign, noted that Domtar’s contribution continues a long line of donations from the business community. “This significant contribution from Domtar underscores its leadership role in Quebec society,” he said. “Domtar, with its head office established in Montreal for close to 100 years now, is ranked today by Fortune magazine as among one of the 500 largest American companies and a leader in manufacturing, commercialization and distribution of a wide variety of fiber-based products, thus creating employment for thousands of people in Quebec, Canada and the United States.”

In recognition of Domtar’s outstanding generosity, the MUHC will name the Pulmonary Gym at its new Glen site, opening in 2015, in honour of the company.

“This pulmonary rehabilitation gym will be an important resource where physical and occupational therapists can provide comprehensive diagnostic and treatment programs to adult patients with chronic lung disease, enabling them to enhance their daily living skills” said France Denis, a co-chair of The Best Care for Life Campaign. “This facility is a natural choice to bear Domtar’s name, given that the patients will use this space to become revitalized, much like Domtar’s gift signals its renewed commitment to the community.”

“Domtar’s generous gift is once again a prime example of how the business community continues to play a central role in the construction of both academic health centres” noted Guy Savard, chairman of the Fondation du CHUM Capital Campaign Cabinet. “This is a wonderful display of confidence in our project and of generosity towards the entire community. It is the largest gift ever made by Domtar. As a businessman myself, I recognize that there are many worthy causes to choose from. Knowing that other members of the business community are drawn in by this vital project to form the new CHUM confirms for me that together we will make a difference for the patients of today and tomorrow. We can all be affected by illness to one extent or another. One day everyone will need a university hospital like the CHUM. It is not only you but also your children and grandchildren who will profit from this project.”

In the same spirit, Ékram Antoine Rabbat, president and CEO of the Fondation du CHUM, praised Domtar’s donation. “Domtar is constantly growing and developing through the years in order to adapt to the times through which it has passed. It is a major encouragement to our campaign that a business showing such great leadership has come forward to partner with us,” he said. This gesture will allow our professionals to benefit of state-of-the-art equipment at the level of the services they provide, thus contributing to give patients the best care possible. Furthermore, it is a matter of taking one more step in making the new CHUM a reality, a major health project for the community. Many thanks!”