The Dauphin Hospital Foundation is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Doug Deans. Doug was an integral part of the Foundation, having served as Board Chair for over 15 years before retiring in late 2020.

Mr. Deans guided the Foundation Board through several accomplishments and milestones during his tenure.

Among them was leading a charge to ensure the MRI Unit was completed in Dauphin, after advocating to the highest provincial levels in 2018.

The Dauphin Hospital Foundation was one of the beneficiaries of recent generous donations from the estate of Ron Drebnisky. Family friend Vern Ellis presented the Foundation with a $50,000 cheque as executor of Mr. Drebnisky’s estate. The $50,000 donation goes to the Foundation’s cancer care fund.

“Ron fought a courageous battle with cancer for many years, and previously his wife also passed from cancer. They always had excellent care from the staff at Dauphin Regional Health Centre. By having cancer care close to home, they did not have to travel a lot to Winnipeg or Brandon for treatment. This was their way of giving back.”

Thanks to the assistance of the Dauphin Hospital Foundation, a second special bariatric wheelchair was recently purchased for the Dauphin Regional Health Centre (DRHC). The wheelchair purchase, of over $8,000, coincided with an initial purchase of a wheelchair courtesy of the RBC Foundation.

As Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) continues with plans to support the DRHC as a bariatric care site, the purchases were much appreciated.

The RBC Foundation contributed $10,0000 which was used to buy one of the wheelchairs and some remaining funds went towards staff education and training for bariatric lift and care resources.

A large crowd gathered at the Dauphin Regional Health Centre (DRHC) on May 29 to recognize and celebrate the 125th anniversary of Dauphin’s hospital. Attendees were greeted with a large display of pictures and articles of milestone events from the hospital’s storied history and were treated to refreshments and cake.

As part of the formal presentations, Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) Communications Coordinator Blaine Kraushaar provided greetings and congratulations on behalf of PMH leadership. He re-iterated the health centre’s significant role in the community and acknowledged the provision of excellent care provided by both current and past healthcare professionals and staff members and noted the contributions of volunteers, including the Dauphin Hospital Foundation and former Health Care Auxiliary.

The Parkland U18 Rangers, in conjunction with Embroidery by Design (Bill and Lynda Nicholson), have been proud to host a “Hockey Fights Cancer’ game for nearly 10 years. Bill and Lynda (Embroidery by Design), who are huge supporters of the Parkland Rangers, donate the special game day pink jerseys that are used for three games (over three years) and then auctioned off as a fundraiser. All proceeds from each year’s game (raffle, 50/50 draw and every third-year jerseys) are donated to cancer care wards within the Parkland. This year, the Parkland U18 Rangers were proud to provide the Dauphin and Swan River cancer units with $2000/each.

A recent donation from the estate of an anonymous donor has gone towards supporting care at the Dauphin Regional Health Centre’s (DRHC) cancer care unit. The generous donation of $30,000, through the Dauphin Hospital Foundation, provided the funding to purchase five new Krug reclining chairs. These new chairs have the added feature of providing a heated seat and backing for patients while they are receiving their chemotherapy treatment. Often, patients need to sit for extended periods to receive intravenous fluids and/or blood products. Having a warm seat helps ease that chill and discomfort. In addition, the chairs offer a swing away arm that allows staff the ability to transfer patients to a stretcher if needed in an emergency.

Dauphin organizations and a local business combined efforts to raise funds and awareness for Men’s Health as part of Men’s Health Awareness Month in November 2025.

The Dauphin Fire Department and Dauphin Co-op Food Store partnered to raise funds to establish a Men’s Health Fund within the Dauphin Hospital Foundation. Thanks to some matching employee funding from the Co-op, the total presented to the Dauphin Hospital Foundation was $1,115.

With an added focus on recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals across the Province, the Dauphin Hospital Foundation has worked hard over the past few years to enhance a staff education fund that can be accessed by Dauphin Regional Health Centre (DRHC) employees. The Delha Cort Educational Trust is an endowment fund that is administered by the Board of Directors of the Dauphin Hospital Foundation. The fund remains invested, with the interest gained available to be distributed to successful applicants for the advancement of their education and skills. 

The Dauphin Hospital Foundation continues to put generous contributions towards needs at Dauphin Regional Health Centre. Recently, the Foundation assisted with the purchase of privacy screens for patients receiving treatment within the Dauphin Cancer Care Unit. The total contribution was just over $10,000.

The Dauphin Hospital Foundation’s overarching vision and mission is to support and enhance services and programs for residents, patients, clients and staff of the Dauphin Regional Health Centre (DRHC). 

The Foundation is well-known for equipment purchases at the hospital, personal care home and community health services building. Supporting initiatives that can benefit staff is equally important.