ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER 12 HEALTH AND WELLNESS continued from page 11 services. A new MRI machine is the focus of the community’s largest ever fundraising campaign, the Palmerston and District Hospital Foundation MRI+ Campaign, driven by a committee of 20-plus local residents. The total estimated cost of the project, which is expected to be operational this year, is $8 million. • Under District 10’s leadership, and with support from District 8 and the Community Investment Program, the Kincardine Hospital Redevelopment and Expansion project received $17,000 towards a massive undertaking that includes a CT scanner and MRI machine. An expanding population in the Kincardine area, doctor shortages and increasing emphasis on outpatient facilities services have put significant pressure on the hospital’s capacity. The expansion will ease overcrowding, address the anticipated increase in emergency unit visits and attract new medical personnel. Residents will be able to access MRI technology without having to wait for months or travel long distances in the winter. • District 6 worked through the Community Investment Program to donate $20,000 to the Norfolk Haldimand Community Hospice, including the development of a Centre for Hospice Palliative Care. The centre will provide community residents with more equitable palliative and end-of-life care at home supported by a palliative care outreach team, and in a hospice residence if they are unable to stay at home. The new hospice, which opens in December 2027, will be located just outside of Jarvis. It addresses the need for hospice services in the region, which are currently unavailable. • The Campbellford Memorial Hospital is a vital part of the community in District 12, serving patients from Peterborough, Northumberland and Hastings counties, along with seven municipalities. The hospital’s in-patients are on average 78 years old. Many have mobility issues and are bed-ridden, and will benefit significantly from a portable X-ray machine, a critical technology that allows for faster treatment decisions and helps speed up the examination workflow. District 12 worked through the Community Investment Program to donate $20,000 to help purchase this technology. • District 2 donated $7,000 through the Community Investment Program to the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance fluoroscopy campaign. Fluoroscopy is a diagnostic tool that provides real-time, moving X-ray images that are critical for detecting illnesses, guiding procedures and ensuring accurate treatment plans. From diagnosing disorders in stroke and cancer patients to guiding lifesaving interventions, fluoroscopy can result in shorter wait times and improved accuracy. • STRETCH, SIP, SNACK When planting season arrives, it’s easy to get caught up in non-stop work. But peak performance depends on wellness. And that includes wellness breaks, when things get busy. So this spring, Grain Farmers of Ontario’s Farmer Wellness Committee launched a wellness outreach project to focus on farmers’ physical and mental health. With support of other delegates from their district, committee members handed out snack bags to farmers they saw working in the fields. Typically, the treats consisted of snack items produced in their district, fruit and granola bars. The packages included messaging to stay hydrated, stretch and move, phone a friend, and have a snack break. Rachel Telford, Grain Farmers of Ontario’s manager of member relations and staff lead for the Farmer Wellness Committee, says the committee felt strongly about acknowledging the need to focus on wellness at this time of year, given how much their stress increases when farmers are faced with a short window to get crops in the ground. “Hunger, physical discomfort, building frustration with problems and delays can all take their toll,” she says. “These snacks, provided by Grain Farmers of Ontario along with mental health support resources, are friendly reminders that grain farmers are a community that looks out for one another.” “The new wave of emerging geopolitical and climate-related issues affecting food production and food security just makes farmers’ health even more of a challenge…and more of a priority.
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