About Us

The primary purpose of the Hinton Healthcare Foundation is to enhance the quality of healthcare in our community by raising money for the priority and specialized needs of the Hinton Healthcare Centre.

Your donations help us to purchase much needed equipment for hospital and clinic expansions, and support healthcare programs that bring in surgeons from around the world.

Current and upcoming projects we’re involved in include:

• visiting surgical programs
• expansion of the Community Cancer Clinic
• upgrade of the Maternity and Palliative Care suites
• upgrades to all waiting rooms
• the purchase of much needed capital equipment, such as surgical equipment for expansion of Orthopaedic program, anesthetic equipment upgrades, infusion pumps, and vital sign monitors for Acute Care

Money raised with your support ensures that this equipment is directly available in Hinton, which increases the community’s access to services and decreases the need for patients to travel for health care.

Through our events, and with your donations and support, our Foundation has been able to purchase healthcare equipment and fund critical services.

Our community benefits in may ways by having health equipment and services easily accessible.

• health benefits to the residents of Hinton in having the equipment and services readily available to them in emergency situations
• purchased equipment also supports the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of disease
• reduced traveling expenses and lost wages for the residents
• a high-functioning healthcare facility draws new residents to the community

Our Foundation continually strives to not only maintain the excellent health services we currently offer, but also to enhance and expand health services for the benefit of the community of Hinton and area.

The Hinton Healthcare Centre provides excellent care to the residents who live and work in Hinton and surrounding areas and recently received an “A” rating putting the facility in the top 9% across the country.

As a full-service acute centre, some of the services provided include a community cancer centre, diabetic nephropathy, pharmacy, rehabilitation, ultrasound, X-Ray, CT Scan and MRI. It is currently the regional obstetrical, surgical, stroke, dialysis services, and cancer treatment centre. The Hinton Healthcare Centre also provides best practice emergency, medical, palliative, and many other Allied Health services.

If we did not have these services offered in our community, residents would face a minimum 3-hour drive to an urban centre for care.

Some approximate statistics:

• 12,000 Emergency Room visits/year
• 300-325 deliveries/year
• 2,000 surgical visits/year
• 1,500 visiting specialist visits/year
• 1,300 inpatient services/year

Your support of the Hinton Healthcare Foundation is not only an investment in the present and future of patient care, but also an opportunity to have a direct and positive impact on healthcare in our community.

The Hinton Healthcare Foundation was established by the Hinton General Hospital District Board in 1994 under the name of The Hinton Hospital Foundation. This occurred at the time the Provincial Government was phasing out local Hospital Boards and turning over responsibility to Regional Authorities. Prior to this, planning by the Hospital Board for an extended-care facility had been frozen by the Government because of budget restraints. Planning in Hinton was at the stage where architectural drawings was the next step.

A community initiative, led by Mrs. Mabel Lee and Mrs. Grace Hart, set out to raise the required $70,000 for the plans by placing coin jars in every place of business throughout Hinton.

The goal was to keep the project moving forward, so that when the freeze was lifted with drawings on hand, we could immediately proceed to tender. This seemed like a daunting task, but thanks to the efforts of these two ladies this amount – and more – was raised.

Despite this effort, the Government refused to allow the architectural drawings to be commissioned. Fortunately, at the time the Hospital Board was disbanded the outgoing Board was able to retain the donated funds in the previously incorporated Hinton Healthcare Foundation.

Beginning with the seed money from the coin jars, the Foundation continues to this day to raise money for our local Hospital and Extended Care facilities.

The original Foundation was comprised of former Hospital Board members Garth Griffiths, Lynda Allen, Fiona Murray-Galbraith and Ken Brady, plus representatives from the new Regional Authority, Bruce Deal and Bill Bulger.

The first successful project was an effort to raise $100,000 towards the purchase of a CT Scanner. Garth Griffiths had a thermometer sign on display, built to indicate the campaign’s progress. This effort was put over the top by the highly successful comedy night called “Laughter is the Best Medicine”. Ultimately, the Foundation served as the conduit for an ad hoc Community Committee that successfully raised over $500,000 from municipal governments, industry, and small businesses.

Later projects like Silent Auctions, the on-going Turkey Drive, Lights in December, the new Hole-in-One Golf Tournament, as well as memorial donations and legacy donations, have continued to provide needed medical equipment and patient amenities for our local facilities.

Hinton, Alberta is recognized for its established resource industries, quality of regional services and striking views of the Northern Alberta Rocky Mountains.

It is also the place we call home.

Our community is warm and welcoming. A place where we are all neighbours, joined by an appreciation of the opportunity and lifestyle our friendly mountain community provides us.

We are also active people: mountain biking in our renowned bike park and trails; strolling along the volunteer-built Beaver Boardwalk; participating on local sports teams and arts groups.

Hintonites experience a high quality of life, with a thriving arts and culture community.

Our many festivals and events keep everyone busy throughout the summer months, and include highlights like the Wild Mountain Music Festival, Mary Reimer Rodeo, Beaver Bike Fest, MS Bike Tour, Winter Magic Festival, The Hinton Growler Fat Bike Race, Hinton Mud Run, and the Run in the Rockies half-marathon race to name a few.

Our town has a population of just less than 10,000 and welcomes numerous industry and tourism visitors each year. Albertans come to Hinton to enjoy the close proximity to Jasper National Park, William A. Switzer Provincial Park, and the historic coal branch area, as our location is central to many of the region’s best recreation spots.

Hinton offers diverse employment and career prospects, due to the mining, forestry, oil and gas activity in the area, as well as retail, tourism and service industry opportunities. Our residents also invest in our community with the many volunteer hours worked for a variety of non-profit organizations and service clubs.

Health and wellness are a focus for many residents, and Hinton is a regional centre for exceptional healthcare services.

The Hinton Healthcare Centre, a full-service acute centre features:

• Orthopaedic Surgery (hips, knees, shoulders)
• Nephropathy
• Pharmacy
• Rehabilitation
• Ultrasound
• X-Ray
• CT Scan
• MRI services
• Community Cancer Centre

Our town is home to numerous medical, dental and optometry clinics, physiotherapists, massage therapists, acupuncturists, chiropractors and practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Overall, it is the people that make Hinton a desirable place to live, work and raise a family. We support each other and share values such as community, respect and integrity. We all feel fortunate to be a part of a town like Hinton and do our part to ensure that our community remains the thriving, welcoming place it is today.