You & WRHN Foundation. Together.
You & WRHN Foundation. Together.
Thank you for placing your trust in WRHN Foundation.
Thank you for placing your trust in WRHN Foundation.
With your support, we’re getting patients into care faster, easing pressure across hospitals, and making sure the right care is ready the moment someone needs it. In the stories ahead, you’ll see the difference you’re making – strengthening care across WRHN and changing lives every day.
Here’s a look at some of the life-saving equipment, programs and resources you supported in 2025–2026:
Positron Emission Tomography (PET CT) Scanner
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Computed Tomography (CT) Simulator Replacement
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Linear Accelerator (LINAC)
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Lab Chemistry Analyser
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Echo Machines
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Critical Care
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WRHN Kids (Childbirth, NICU, Peds)
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Programs: PREVENT Clinic, Propel & Music Therapy
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Patient Care & Compassion Resources
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Physician Recruitment & Wellness
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WRHN is proud to care for the communities of Waterloo Wellington and beyond.
WRHN is home to 19 areas of care, including seven regional programs that serve patients across the province, in places like Brant, Bruce, Grey, Haldimand, Huron, Norfolk, Oxford, and Perth counties.
With three hospital sites, five community sites, and more than 10 partner sites, WRHN is there for patients and families close to home. Regional programs help care for more than 10 per cent of Ontario’s population.
In 2025/2026, 194,020 patients were served, providing 757,613 visits, including:
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Emergency visits
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Surgeries
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Births
The care supports children and adults of all ages and from many backgrounds through every stage of life.
WRHN is committed to working with community members, partners, and local organizations to build a health network, shape services, and deliver care that meets the needs of the diverse and rapidly growing population they serve, now and in the future.
The next generation of cancer care
Top fundraising priority
Thanks to you: $3.4M Raised of $11.5M Goal
The WRHN Regional Cancer Centre has cared for nearly 77,000 patients and counting since it opened in 2003. You help keep it at the forefront of cancer care as our community grows.
The Cancer Centre’s six radiation bunkers were designed to bring advanced care to Waterloo-Wellington and beyond, and today, WRHN is investing in the next generation of radiation technology. Known as linear accelerators (LINACs), these machines aim radiation directly at a tumour while sparing the healthy tissue around it.
Two of the Centre’s five existing LINACs have already been replaced, and the sixth bunker will soon welcome a new machine, expanding our capacity.
Each new LINAC brings more than a new machine — it creates an opportunity to transform the treatment experience. Community support of approximately $2.2 million per LINAC helps fund the specialized room upgrades and technology needed for more precise care, including real-time motion tracking that continually monitors patient positioning to ensure maximum treatment accuracy.
Each investment brings more modern technology to the WRHN Regional Cancer Centre — helping ensure patients have access to reliable, high-quality cancer treatment close to home, now and for years to come.
- Did you know?
Radiation treatment at WRHN Regional Cancer Centre doesn’t only run on business hours. Care teams can respond quickly to provide radiation for urgent pain relief to patients when they need it most – 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Inside WRHN | Care in Focus Linear Accelerator (LINAC)
Look inside WRHN’s newly-renovated radiation bunker. From the cutting-edge equipment and the tools that support it, see how this milestone is making world-class cancer care accessible for patients right here in Waterloo Region.
Donor Spotlight
A believer in care close to home
Jad Saliba, co-founder of Magnet Forensics, went through his own cancer treatment outside Waterloo Region. He knows what it takes for a family to leave home for care. That's why he's investing in cancer care here, so others won't face the same journey. His belief is simple: no family should have to leave their community for exceptional treatment. His leadership is helping make sure they never have to.
Recruiting innovation: Building the care teams of tomorrow
Exceptional care starts with exceptional people. And, when 10 per cent of Ontario’s population relies on WRHN, having enough of them has never mattered more.
"The physician shortage is a real and serious challenge," says Dr. Anirudh (Rudy) Goel, WRHN Chief of Staff. "Here in Waterloo Region, it's particularly troubling because we serve one of the fastest-growing communities in Canada."
The pressure shows in WRHN’s emergency departments, built for 320 patients a day and regularly averaging more than 400.
WRHN knows how to answer that challenge, because it's already doing it.
WRHN Physician spotlight
A recruit changing the rhythm of care
There's an appetite for innovation, creativity, and advancement that's so contagious here.
Dr. Gabriel Acosta
Electrophysiologist (EP) in the
Cardiac Arrhythmia Unit, WRHN
Dr. Gabriel Acosta, a Colombia native who studied cardiology in Barcelona, joined WRHN's electrophysiology team in July 2025 after a competitive recruitment process. He was drawn by a team already pushing the field forward.
The results came fast. With Dr. Acosta on the team, WRHN now regularly performs seven heart rhythm ablations a day, more than triple what most cardiac centres achieve, and within months of his arrival the team introduced three new ablation procedures, bringing treatments to this region that patients once travelled elsewhere to receive.
"His expertise has accelerated our ability to bring leading-edge therapies to patients in our region and care closer to home," says Al Qahwash, Director of Cardiac and Critical Care at WRHN, noting that centres across Canada and internationally now look to WRHN as a leader in electrophysiology.
The donors who support WRHN transform care and allow us to deliver a quality of care that simply wouldn't be possible otherwise.
It sends a message to our frontline teams that the community supports you, the community has your back. There's really nothing more valuable than that support.
Dr. Anirudh (Rudy) Goel
Chief of Staff, WRHN
Who we're recruiting next
WRHN is recruiting seven emergency medicine specialists, two neurosurgeons, and two anesthesiologists to keep emergency care strong, bring neurosurgery back to this region, and keep surgeries happening on time.
Recruiting physicians is half the work. WRHN’s three-year Physician Leadership, Wellness and Workforce Sustainability initiative helps keep them here through mentorship, leadership development, and supports that reduce burnout and administrative burden. That means patients can count on exceptional care teams today and tomorrow.
The cardiac catheterization (cath) lab: where every second counts
Top fundraising priority
THANKS TO YOU: $5.3M RAISED of $10.4M GOAL
In the cardiac catheterization (cath) lab, every second counts. It’s where heart attacks are treated in real time, with minimally invasive techniques that restore blood flow; it’s where blocked arteries are diagnosed and treated, right then and there, so patients can recover sooner.
WRHN is one of Canada’s leading cardiac centres — and demand is growing. In 2025, our two cath labs performed nearly 6,500 procedures. By 2028, that number is expected to reach 8,500.
That’s why we’re investing in the future: renovating our existing two labs and building a third, in phases. The first renovation is already complete, thanks to donors who have helped bring this campaign to $5.3 million.
Upgrading our existing labs and adding a third will create capacity for up to 11,000 patients a year, expand access to advanced procedures and help WRHN attract the specialists who will shape the future of cardiac care.
We’re more than halfway there because of you. Thank you for helping us lead the way in cardiac innovation.
Patient Spotlight
In November 2024, Ron Van Dam’s life was saved in the cath lab. After a workout, he started to feel short of breath. Ron collapsed, and his wife called an ambulance. When they arrived at WRHN, team members treated his blocked coronary artery with a stent. Now, Ron is back to enjoying life with his 10 grandchildren. Each month, he shares his gratitude as a monthly donor to WRHN Foundation.
Medication management at WRHN: The right medication, at the right time.
Top fundraising priority
THANKS TO YOU: $4.2M RAISED of $10.6M GOAL
For every medication, every dose, and every patient, accuracy matters. Automated Dispensing Units (ADUs) help ensure the right medication reaches the right patient at the right time, in the right dose.
ADUs support patient safety, reduce medication errors, and allow care teams to access medications quickly and securely. WRHN delivers up to 16,000 individual medications every day.
As demand grows and technology advances, WRHN Foundation is replacing its current fleet of ADUs to ensure one is available on every patient care floor.
With community support, WRHN Foundation has raised enough to replace one-third of WRHN’s full ADU fleet. Together, we are on our way to modernizing medication delivery across the network, strengthening patient safety, and supporting clinical teams with the tools they need to deliver timely, accurate care.
Modernizing medication management
The new system unlocks future capabilities to reduce manual programming time and increase time available for direct patient care.
Anthony Amadio
Director of Pharmacy Services, WRHN
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Inside WRHN | Care in Focus Pharmacy
Anthony Amadio takes you behind the scenes to look inside WRHN’s medication management process. See how medication goes from the main storage depot to an ADU and patient bedside.
It's about time: Bringing neurosurgery back
Top fundraising priority
$10M GOAL LAUNCHED THIS YEAR
When it comes to a stroke, aneurysm, or brain injury, every minute without treatment can have devastating impacts. When you're hours away from the care you need, those minutes add up quickly.
For more than two decades, patients in Waterloo Region needing urgent neurosurgical and spinal care have had to travel outside the region for treatment. Now, WRHN and WRHN Foundation are changing that, bringing this critical care closer to home for the more than 1.4 million people who rely on our health network.
With donor investment, WRHN is rebuilding neurosurgical capacity in our community, creating access to specialized brain and spine care when time matters most. This means fewer transfers to Hamilton, London and Toronto, less stress for patients and families, and faster access to the care they need.
This transformational investment in our community will bring world-class neurosurgical care closer to home and help WRHN deliver better outcomes for patients today, and for generations to come.
Every minute treatment is delayed, approximately 1.9 million brain cells die.
One step closer
WRHN is replacing its 23-year-old single-plane interventional radiology machine and upgrading the specialized space where stroke care happens. The work also includes a renovated operating room and more intensive care beds that will advance stroke care across the community.
We continue to work with the government on the next phases, with the goal of officially welcoming neurosurgery back to Waterloo Region's new hospital in Waterloo.
All of this means better diagnosis and treatment for brain and spinal issues. That includes cancers, faster stroke interventions that reduce disability, and stronger critical care for head trauma and spinal cord injuries.
Building the future of healthcare through innovation
Hospitals take years to design and build. The decisions made today will determine how well they can respond to technologies, models of care and expectations that are still emerging.
CareNext is helping WRHN look beyond the immediate horizon. By testing new approaches and building the right partnerships now, we can bring what we learn into both current care and the design of Waterloo Region's new hospital. The goal is a hospital that opens ready for the future—with relationships already established, teams prepared to adapt and innovation embedded in how care is delivered.
Donor support allows us to begin building that future long before the doors open.
Danina Kapetanovic
VP of Innovation, AI Strategy, and Chief Health Innovation Officer, WRHN
At WRHN, innovation reaches beyond adopting technology. It brings patients, care teams, researchers and partners together to challenge assumptions, imagine new possibilities and translate them into better care — responding to today’s needs while deliberately shaping tomorrow’s health system.
CareNext is the cornerstone of this ambition. Anchored at WRHN, it draws on the expertise of the University of Waterloo and our region’s renowned innovation ecosystem to anticipate change, bring diverse perspectives to complex challenges and move new technologies, models of care and ways of working from possibility into practice.
Since January 2025, CareNext has established the strategy, partnerships and capabilities needed to make innovation an enduring part of WRHN. It connects research and talent more directly to care, expands opportunities for staff and leaders to learn, strengthens innovation and AI literacy, and helps the organization anticipate the forces reshaping healthcare. Those capabilities are now being applied to urgent priorities, from emergency care and clinician workload to dementia care, while WRHN’s enterprise AI strategy moves into implementation.
Through WRHN Foundation’s Healthcare Experience Fund, $5.5 million is being invested in the expertise, partnerships and priority initiatives that turn innovation into action — strengthening care today while building WRHN’s capacity to lead tomorrow.
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WHAT IS CARENEXT?
Learn more in this Q&A with Danina
Kapetanovic, VP of Innovation, AI Strategy,
and Chief Health Innovation Officer at WRHN.
Special feature
The little things that make a big difference: How donor support is transforming care with a $140,000 bedside swallow test
Donor support brings new FEES bedside swallow tests to WRHN, cutting wait times from days to minutes so patients can eat and recover faster.
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You & WRHN Foundation. Together.
- UP NEXT
Learn more about our signature events, giving circles, lotteries, and community engagement.
