![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/carmen-photo.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThis February, as Valentine\u2019s Day reminds us of what we love most, you are invited to show your love for Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital (PECMH) and double your impact.<\/p>\n
Thanks to the generosity of donor Carmen Kilroy and her family, every donation made toward new SMART hospital beds will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $50,000. The matching campaign will help equip the new PECMH with state-of-the-art beds designed to enhance patient comfort, dignity, and safety.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kilroy Family (Photo submitted)<\/p>\n
A gift rooted in love for community and care<\/p>\n
Since purchasing a home in Prince Edward County in 2016, Carmen and her family have been inspired by the community\u2019s strong spirit of collaboration and generosity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat impresses us most is the local spirit of collaboration,\u201d Carmen shares. \u201cBuilding a new hospital is a tremendous achievement for a community that truly deserves it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carmen\u2019s commitment to supporting hospital care is deeply personal. After six weeks of hospitalized bed rest related to a pregnancy in 2009, followed by an acute and very serious illness in 2014, she understands first-hand how hospital design, comfort, and safety can play a critical role in recovery.<\/p>\n
Alongside their recent gift of a life-saving ventilator, Carmen and her family are now encouraging the community to help ensure the new hospital opens with leading-edge equipment from day one \u2014 including SMART beds.<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil March 31, 2026, I\u2019m matching every donation, dollar for dollar, up to $50,000,\u201d Carmen says, \u201cto help the hospital open with as many new SMART beds as possible to provide state-of-the-art comfort to the sickest patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why SMART beds matter<\/p>\n
Last year alone, 850 patients stayed overnight at PECMH, many during serious medical emergencies. For these patients, a hospital bed is far more than furniture, it is an essential component of healing.<\/p>\n
SMART beds are designed to support both patient recovery and safety. Fully adjustable electronic controls help patients reposition independently and reduce the risk of falls, while specialized mattresses improve comfort, support higher weight capacities, and help prevent pressure injuries.<\/p>\n
Enhanced surface materials support infection prevention, while improved maneuverability helps staff deliver safer, more efficient care. Built-in verbal safety prompts and features such as USB charging add reassurance, comfort, and dignity throughout a patient\u2019s stay.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese beds will be used every single day by patients in our community,\u201d says Shannon Coull, Executive Director of the PECMH Foundation. \u201cThey support healing, safety, and dignity, while also making a meaningful difference for the healthcare professionals who care for our patients. This matching gift is a powerful opportunity for donors to have an immediate and lasting impact.\u201d<\/p>\n
Community support makes the difference<\/p>\n
Medical equipment, such as hospital beds, are not funded by the government. It is only through the generosity of donors that the PECMH Foundation can provide this essential equipment.<\/p>\n
The foundation is working to replace 24 hospital beds at approximately $22,000 per bed. Thanks to the matching gift, donations made during this campaign will have twice the impact, up to $50,000.<\/p>\n
This Valentine\u2019s Day, love your hospital back<\/p>\n
A gift of $50 becomes $100.<\/p>\n
A gift of $250 becomes $500.<\/p>\n
A gift of $1,000 becomes $2,000 \u2014 directly supporting patient comfort,\u00a0dignity, and healing when it matters most.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope this inspires others to give generously,\u201d Carmen says, \u201cand help bring life-saving technology and comfort to this community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donations made before the matching deadline will help ensure the new PECMH opens with the equipment patients deserve \u2014 close to home, when they need it most. Donate today at www.pecmhf.ca<\/a>.PECMHF\u2019s Back the Build campaign is raising $30 million in support of Quinte Health to help build and equip a new hospital to serve residents and visitors in Prince Edward County. For more information and to lend your support, visit www.pecmhf.ca\/back-the-build<\/a>.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This February, as Valentine\u2019s Day reminds us of what we love most, you are invited to show your…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":442345,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[3735,3736,49,48,84,392,44,3733,3731,3734,3729,3730,3737,3732],"class_list":["post-442344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-bancroft","tag-brighton","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-news","tag-pec","tag-picton","tag-prince-edward-county","tag-quinte","tag-quinte-news","tag-quinte-west","tag-trenton"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=442344"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442344\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/442345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=442344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=442344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=442344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}