Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation

The Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation (EOCF) announced today a $1 million donation over five years to the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation to purchase a Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography (PET/CT) Scanner.

A PET/CT Scanner allows physicians and care teams to detect, diagnose, stage and treat diverse forms of cancer and a wide range of diseases that affect people of all ages and backgrounds. This will be Canada’s highest resolution digital PET/CT system, which will be used as a leading-edge diagnostic tool within the Alberta Health Services system and have a remarkable impact on the advance of healthcare in Edmonton, and central and northern Alberta.  

“It is with tremendous gratitude the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation accepts this incredible gift from the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation,” said Andrew Otway, President, and CEO of the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation. “The PET/CT Scanner will provide vital information to our physicians, giving them the ability to pinpoint and identify disease in its earliest stages – often before symptoms are present. The Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation’s generous donation allows us to complete our fundraising campaign, meaning patients will soon have the right care, at the right time, right here at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. Our clinician-researchers are excited about the research opportunities the PET/CT affords, including concussion and neurological disorders.” 

The addition of this diagnostic equipment will have a transformational clinical impact on patient diagnostics and treatment, including surgical and neurological care. The system will be used to enhance leadership in medical training and research, and furthermore, by radiologists and neurologists to develop and expand concussion protocols to better treat and mitigate brain injuries arising from participation in professional and amateur sports. 

“The Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation is proud to support the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation in the funding of their campaign to bring a PET/CT Scanner to the hospital,” said EOCF Board Chair Janet Riopel. “The EOCF is proud to continue its legacy of supporting health and wellness initiatives and finding long-term solutions to build strong, vibrant and safe communities. This scanner will ensure that patients in Oil Country are getting the best possible care in order to recover and thrive.”

The Royal Alexandra Hospital will recognize the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation and their significant contribution to the advancement of healthcare in Alberta with a donor plaque placed in direct proximity to the new PET/CT scanner, as well as on the Master Donor Wall located at the Main Entrance of the Active Treatment Centre.

The Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation has a long-standing relationship with the Royal Alexandra Hospital dating back to 1992, and have had a significant impact on multiple areas, including the Lois Hole Hospital for Women, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit, the patient Healing Garden and other innovative and patient-centered clinical priorities.