London’s Parkwood Institute has been given a new name – The Finch Family Mental Health Care Building – after a historic donation through the St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation.
Representatives from St. Joseph’s Health Care London were happy to be on the receiving-end of this $5-million contribution. The hospital says this is the largest known donor gift to support mental health in all of southwestern Ontario.
St. Joseph’s President and CEO Michelle Campbell believes that for Londoners, seeing a familiar name associated with the mental health facility could help reduce stigma.
“We are immensely grateful to Ryan Finch for his transformational donation,” said Campbell said. “In addition to his generosity, the addition of the Finch name on our building opens conversations and breaks down community barriers. We want to recognize Ryan Finch for his exceptional community leadership that will help to transform mental health care for patients and their families across our region.”
Finch’s sizeable gift will be divided among a few different initiatives – each with a purpose of improving healthcare for those suffering from mental illness. With this support, St. Joseph’s will be adding a new term research Chair in Mental Health System Transformation – the first in Canada. The hospital’s Mental Health INcubator for Disruptive Solutions (MINDS) research lab will also benefit from the donation.
“This funding is about fundamentally rebooting the mental health care system,” said Jodi Younger, St. Joseph’s vice president of patient care and quality. “It’s long been a complicated and complex system to navigate, especially for individuals diagnosed with a mental illness. More than 50 per cent of people have their first mental health encounter in the emergency room because they don’t know where to go.”
The Finch Family Mental Health Care Building is equipped with 156 inpatient beds intended for people with “severe and persistent mental illness,” according to St. Joseph’s. The facility serves more than 150,000 others per year through outpatient services and outreach visits.
“I feel lucky to be able to give back,” said Ryan Finch, president of Finch Auto Group. “With mental health at the forefront of so many aspects of life today, I wanted to make a difference and if this donation finds new ways to make it easier for people to get help, then it has served its purpose. Every moment when someone is hurting is a moment to be supportive. I want this donation to offer hope for people with mental health illnesses.”
