Bill and Doug lead
the way for hospital
upgrades

Bill Cohoon and Doug Brown

Bill and Doug lead the way for hospital upgrades
Every year the mayor of Scugog has the distinct pleasure of announcing the Mayor’s Honour Roll; an honour reserved for the elite members of the community who give substantially more than is asked of them.

Two of the most recent recipients were the co-chairs of Port Perry’s “Lighting the Way” campaign, which was one of the most successful fundraising events this area has ever witnessed. Doug Brown and Bill Cohoon beamed with pride as they accepted the prestigious award earlier this year.

The “Lighting The Way” campaign is an off-shoot of the Port Perry Hospital Foundation and is designed to raise funding for specific equipment. This is necessary to offer the best possible healthcare available to the residents of our community.

Doug Brown, the owner of Shoppers Drug Mart has been involved with the Hospital Foundation since 2003. He was also on the Board for Lakeridge Health, but stepped down due to a conflict with his sister, who is a local physician.

During an interview with the two men I asked Doug why we need fundraising with the government so heavily involved in our healthcare system.

“Our tax dollars fund the operation of the hospital,” Doug explained, not capital equipment. The foundation was established to cover shortfalls in that area.”

Co-chairing the campaign with Doug was Dr. Bill Cohoon, one of the founders of the Port Perry Medical Associates. Although Bill is now retired from family practice, he remains extremely committed and busy with his volunteer work in support of improving healthcare for Scugog’s residents. In 2002 Bill was named Scugog’s resident of the year.

“I have always been involved in raising money for one thing or another, but never at this scale,” Bill explained. “I was terrified making presentations to very large corporations and asking for thousands of dollars.” But the end result for the campaign, as well as Doug and Bill, was an outstanding success.

The “Lighting The Way” campaign commenced in 2004 to raise $400,000 for upgrades to the emergency department at Port Perry Hospital.

This need came about partially as a result of the SARS epidemic, when many new rules were imposed.

A new heating and air conditioning system was required to circulate the air properly. Unlike conventional air conditioning systems, which filter incoming air, an emergency room’s air must be filtered when it leaves as well.

Many of the things we never think about are integral to the operation of an emergency room. Things as simple as ice, which must be sterilized before being used.

“The residents of Port Perry are extremely generous,” Doug stated. “We achieved our goal in record time and continued the campaign to raise enough money for a badly needed endoscopy suite, a CT scanner, new x-ray equipment and a complete renovation of the New Life Centre.”

“We need to thank all the residents of Scugog Township,” Bill said. “We especially thank the Baagwating Community Association, the Region of Durham and the Township of Scugog, all the service clubs and organizations... well just about everyone got involved.”

What I found interesting is that both Doug Brown and Bill Cohoon spoke only of the people in the community and how generous they are. Never did either of the two mention anything about themselves.

It is for that reason they received the prestigious honour of being named to the “Mayor’s Honour Roll.”

The residents of the Township of Scugog owe a great deal to Doug and Bill and on behalf of all 20,000+ of us in Scugog, thank you and congratulations on a well deserved honour.

By Jonathan van Bilsen
Focus on Scugog