- Programs
Supporting care that goes beyond treatment
Recovery means accelerating critical diagnoses, building confidence, finding connection, managing the emotional impact of illness, or developing new ways to cope.
With your help, our community gets access to world-class medical tech and compassionate programs that care for the whole person — from cutting-edge Digital Pathology that speeds up critical answers, to youth resilience through Propel, to comfort and healing through Music Therapy.
Digital Pathology
You accelerate diagnosis through world-class Digital Pathology
When you’re waiting on lab results to understand what's happening inside your body, every single day feels like an eternity. Traditionally, pathologists have examined tissue samples one physical glass slide at a time under a standard microscope.
Thanks to generous supporters like you, we are halfway to our $4M goal. Reaching $2M ensures this world-class program is here to deliver fast, accurate answers for you and your loved ones when you need it most.
- Key Benefits
- Faster Answers: Speeds up turnaround times for tissue reviews and lab results, helping patients begin treatment faster.
- Enhanced Accuracy: Advanced imaging technology provides high-resolution detail and precision for complex evaluations.
- Digital Collaboration: Facilitates seamless consultation with sub-specialist pathologists worldwide without waiting to physically ship fragile glass slides.
Digital Pathology turns physical glass slides into crystal-clear, high-resolution digital images.
This allows our medical teams to instantly analyze, manage, and consult on complex diagnoses in real-time with top specialists down the hall or across the globe.
This technology will allow for more accurate and timely diagnosis ensuring an efficient and patient focused healthcare experience.
Renee Giroux
Administrative Director, Laboratory Services, WRHN
Delivering world-class diagnostics and exceptional patient outcomes locally.
Thanks to a unique partnership with Huron Digital Pathology, fueled by a $1M gift from The Savvas Chamberlain Family Foundation and further supported by OBIO®, Waterloo Regional Health Network officially celebrated the launch of the Digital Pathology program at a donor event on January 7, 2025
Propel
Helping young people build resilience
For young people experiencing anxiety, depression or isolation, recovery doesn't necessarily end when a therapy session does.
Since 2017, your support has funded Propel, a program designed to build confidence and resilience in young people.
Through Propel, young people take part in activities such as fitness, art, horseback riding, cooking and mentorship, offering opportunities to heal and connect beyond the hospital.
You can be assured that when a young person comes through our program, they are in a safe environment and in great hands.
Matt Shantz
Child & Youth Worker, WRHN
More than 120 young people are supported by Propel each year, with demand continuing to grow.
Community support helps remove financial barriers by funding program access, memberships, equipment, transportation and mentorship opportunities.
Music Therapy
Notes of hope, moments of healing
For some patients, music can be more than something they listen to. It can become part of their care.
Music therapy is an evidence-informed clinical intervention that uses music to support patients' emotional, psychological and physiological wellbeing during medical treatment.
Delivered by accredited Music Therapists who are also Registered Psychotherapists, the program provides structured therapeutic support for patients facing serious illness, trauma and complex care journeys.
- Did you know?
Music therapy isn't funded through traditional healthcare budgets, and demand continues to grow. Approximately $300,000 in donor support each year is needed to sustain the current level of care.
Your support helps provide:
- Music therapy across 6+ care areas
- ~36 patients supported weekly per FTE
- ~16 hours of direct patient care per week per FTE
- Group and individual therapy sessions delivered each week
Your support helps bring music therapy to patients across WRHN, including people receiving care in NICU, pediatrics, dementia care, rehabilitation, mental health and palliative care.
This isn't recreational programming. It's clinically delivered care that complements treatment and meets patients where they are.
Help shape the future of care
From helping a young person build resilience to giving a patient another way to heal, programs like these support the whole person — not just the condition being treated.
Your support helps our community access care that reaches beyond hospital walls and meets patients where they are.
Together, we can help more patients find connection, confidence and hope.
