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Historic $15 million gift from Solcz Family Foundation

16-9-2024

The Solcz Family Foundation has made a historic $15 million gift to the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital. This is the largest single gift ever made in the Windsor-Essex region.

The $15 million gift will provide critical funding for equipment and technologies at the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital. The New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital will be the most significant healthcare transformation in Windsor/Essex history. This prolific project will lead into the development of a comprehensive, fully integrated health system in Windsor-Essex.

The master plan for the new hospital incorporates innovations, learnings, best practices and technological advancements gleaned from the most advanced and successful hospitals in North America. Located on a 60-acre site, the new facility will be more than 50 percent larger than both of Windsor Regional Hospital’s existing campuses combined. Cost savings and efficiency will be realized with less movement back and forth between hospitals and reduced duplication of caregivers and equipment.

In recognition of the Solcz family’s exceptional gift, the Family Birthing and Paediatric Care Centre, as well as the Paediatric Emergency Zone, located within the Emergency Department, will be named after the Solcz Family Foundation.

The Solcz Family Foundation Family Birthing and Paediatric Care Centre will span an entire floor of the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital and will provide best-in-class child and maternal care from pregnancy and delivery to neonatal and paediatric care (from a child’s birth to their 18th birthday). The floor will include numerous spaces including, but not limited to, birthing suites, operative birthing areas, a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, a Maternal Outpatient Clinic, as well In-Patient and Out-Patient paediatric clinics.

The Solcz Family Foundation Paediatric Emergency Zone will be located within the Emergency Department (ED) at the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital. This specialized zone will provide care to children and youth who need urgent or emergent medical care. Having a dedicated Paediatric Emergency Zone will improve the patient experiences for children and their families. Planning for the new emergency department is focused on creating a rapid triage system that eliminates the need for children to wait in a large waiting room. After triage, children entering will be brought with their parents/caregivers directly into the designated paediatric zone to wait, away from the general population.

The dedicated Paediatric Emergency Zone is building off of the success of the Paediatric Emergency Department Diversion Program implemented in 2023 at WRH. This program was a pilot program launched with the aim of reducing the time paediatric patients spend in the Emergency Department while optimizing ED resources and reducing overcrowding.

The Solcz Family Foundation was founded by Michael G. Solcz, his wife Doreen, and their sons Len, Marty, Michael Jr., Mark, and their families. The Solcz family has been a long-time generous supporter and champion of the Windsor-Essex community. As outstanding business and philanthropic leaders, their support has benefited countless organizations and projects throughout the region. The family is driven by a keen interest in creating a lasting impact for children, youth and families in Windsor-Essex. This is the largest gift ever made by the Solcz Family Foundation.

“The Solcz Family Foundation is thrilled to make this gift to the new hospital project. We are strong believers in the need to support our community. The new hospital will transform healthcare for children, youth, families and all members of the Windsor-Essex community and serve as a testament to what we can achieve when we come together with a shared purpose,” said Kyrsten Solcz, Executive Director of the Solcz Family Foundation. “We hope our gift will inspire others to support this critical project to provide a state-of-the-art medical facility for patients, families and our dedicated medical professionals.”

The historic gift to Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation was announced Monday at the site of the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital by David Musyj, current interim President & CEO of London Health Sciences Centre. The announcement was attended by members of the Solcz family, Premier Doug Ford, Minister of Health Sylvia Jones, community leaders and dignitaries, and hospital and foundation leadership.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Solcz Family Foundation for their extraordinary support and leadership. A gift of this size is unprecedented in this region.” said David Musyj. “Solcz family members have long been philanthropic leaders in the Windsor-Essex community, and we are honoured by the family’s commitment to the new hospital. This gift will have an immense impact on our community for generations to come. Thank you again to the Solcz family for your remarkable commitment. ”

“On behalf of the province, I want to give a heartfelt thank you to Solcz Family Foundation for your incredibly generous donation for the new Windsor-Essex hospital,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Your support builds on our government’s investments to date in early planning and will have a lasting impact on patients across the Windsor region, for generations to come. The new, state-of-the-art acute care facility will bring much-needed hospital beds and expanded services, ensuring that more people can access the quality care they need, closer to home.”




About the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital & Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation
Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) is one of the largest hospitals in Ontario, serving a population of around 468,000 in Windsor and Essex County. The hospital provides acute care services and operates two campuses. WRH is the regional provider of advanced care and provides the following services for the entire former Erie St. Clair LHIN: Complex Trauma, Renal Dialysis, Cardiac Care, Stroke and Neurosurgery Intensive Care, Acute Mental Health, Family Birthing Centre, Neonatal Intensive Care, Paediatric services, and Regional Cancer Services.

The New/Windsor Essex Acute Care Hospital will be a state-of-the-art hospital built to the highest standards, with the capacity to serve the Windsor-Essex community for generations to come. The new hospital will be located at County Rd. 42 and the 9th Concession.

Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation raises funds to enhance care at Windsor Regional Hospital. Over the past 10 years, through the generosity of donors, the Foundation has donated over $30M to support equipment purchases at Windsor Regional Hospital.

In addition to ongoing needs at Windsor Regional Hospital, the Foundation is raising funds to support equipment and technology at the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital. The campaign for the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital will be largest campaign in the history of the Windsor-Essex region.

About The Solcz Family Foundation
The Solcz Family Foundation was founded by Michael G. Solcz, his wife Doreen, their sons - Len, Marty, Michael Jr., Mark and their families. From early beginnings, the Solcz family sought to support local charitable causes within the community they lived, primarily with a focus on helping children and youth. The Solcz family saw the establishment of a family foundation as an opportunity to continue to give back to the Windsor-Essex community in a way they felt could make a lasting impact, while also creating change and engaging next-generation family.

Since 2016 the Foundation has developed to support charities in the Windsor-Essex region that carry out various projects and programs that benefit children, youth and families. Today, the Solcz Family Foundation instills the values of its founders by remaining committed to the Windsor-Essex community by providing support to charities in need. Since inception, the Solcz Family Foundation has awarded over $7.8 million to over 50 charities.

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