The Lloydminster Regional Health Foundation is getting some financial help from several large businesses, through the Frontline Fund.

The Frontline Fund, which opened on April 21, supports frontline healthcare workers by raising funds to help fight COVID-19, through supplies, support and research.

LRHF CEO Malcolm Radke says the hospital has received $30,000, which could bump up to $100,000 when the entire fund is dispersed.

“Some of the donors to the fund are big, national Canadian brands that would have a presence here in the Lloydminster area. It’s great to see us receive some support from those folks, that obviously benefit from the Lloydminster community.”

The funding comes from donations by individuals, leaders in Canada’s healthcare fundraising sector and businesses like Canadian Tire, Rogers and TD, among others.

Some of this funding has gone towards the hospital’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. This has helped them cover paying for Protective Equipment, tablets and phones for isolating patients to keep in contact with loved ones, and hotels rooms so that hospital staff who had been in contact with COVID-19 had a place to self isolate, reducing the risk to their families.

Radke adds they will use some of the funding to support further important projects both during and post COVID-19.

“Long term, as you can probably guess, we’re looking at how we can strengthen the mental health care pathway in Lloydminster, which of course we were already working on, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health supports, the need for those is stronger than ever.

People interested in making donations to the Lloydminster Hospital can still get in touch on the LRHF website. They can also make a donation to the Front Line Fund, which will go to hospitals across Canada online as well.