Donations will fund Canada's first virtual hospital and its unique clinic for refugees and new Canadians

TORONTO, March 4, 2021 /CNW/ - Scotiabank has donated $700,000 to Women's College Hospital Foundation (WCHF) to support two revolutionary initiatives that drive equitable and accessible healthcare for Canadians.

Scotiabank's donation will contribute to the Women's Virtual Program, Women's College Hospital's and Canada's first virtual hospital that launched in November 2019. Scotiabank's donation will be used to accelerate care capabilities and programs including virtual care services and virtual and video visits.

In addition, Scotiabank's donation will help to create the Crossroads Compassionate Fund, within the Crossroads Clinic. Founded in 2011 at Women's College Hospital, Crossroads continues to be Toronto's first and only hospital-based health clinic exclusively serving the complex needs of refugees that have recently arrived in Canada.

The Crossroads Compassionate Fund will assist underserved patients and provide support for expenses that are not covered by government or that are necessary in accessing extra services such as childcare or transportation.

"Canadians have always prioritized the need for access to healthcare and the pandemic has further underscored the importance of equal access for everyone," says Meigan Terry, Senior Vice President, Global Communications, Social Impact and Sustainability at Scotiabank. "With this donation, Scotiabank is helping to deliver compassionate and equitable healthcare access, including targeted services for vulnerable populations like refugees and recent immigrants. We are proud to support Women's College Hospital in reducing health inequalities – for every future."

Scotiabank's donation represents the Bank's commitment to broadening healthcare access for all Canadians and bridging the digital divide for vulnerable populations, helping to build a better and more equitable world.

"We are so grateful to celebrate Scotiabank's gift to Women's College Hospital and their commitment to removing barriers to care and recovery for underserved populations," says Jennifer Bernard, President and CEO, Women's College Hospital Foundation. "There is no doubt that the pandemic has revealed systemic inequities and gaps in our healthcare system that disproportionately impact women, our seniors, racialized groups, the under-housed, newcomers and refugees.

We are proud and honoured that Scotiabank shares our goal that by caring for and designing a healthcare system that focuses on the margins, we create a healthcare system that serves everyone. We thank Scotiabank for its commitment to building a healthier, more equitable world," comments Bernard.

About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future", we help our customers, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of approximately 90,000 employees and assets of approximately $1.2 trillion (as at January 31, 2021), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit http://www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

About Women's College Hospital and Women's College Hospital Foundation
Women's College Hospital is Canada's leader in advancing health for women and a global leader in conducting ground-breaking women's health research. As the first and only fully independent hospital focused on women, Women's is building on its 100+ year history as a trailblazer in identifying and addressing health gaps and delivering pioneering firsts for women, the vulnerable and the underserved.

Women's is also the only fully ambulatory, academic healthcare institution in Canada, with a provincial mandate to lead the way in improving the health system for all people. Women's achieves this by addressing the most pressing health system challenges facing Canadians today and proactively confronting the gender and social inequities that threaten people's health.

Women's College Hospital Foundation fuels the hospital's excellence in research and health care by connecting donors, partners, advocates and volunteers to its mission. We work to bring healthcare equity to the diverse communities in which we live and serve and, together, we are creating a healthier and more equitable world for women and for all.

SOURCE Scotiabank