MAY 28, 2023 – MARKHAM – Today, nearly 1,700 community supporters participated in the 11th annual Shoppers Drug Mart Run for Women Markham in support of Oak Valley Health’s Markham Stouffville Hospital (MSH). Shoppers Drug Mart Women’s Health Foundation has once again partnered with MSH Foundation and has raised a record-breaking $300,000 that will be used to enable a variety of women’s wellness programs for the Gulshan and Pyarali G. Nanji Mental Health Services at MSH.
Grateful patient Sandra Rodrigues-Turner took to the stage to talk about her own experiences with mental health and why supporting local mental health programs is so important. “I had feelings of not wanting to live anymore. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t parent, I couldn’t get out of bed. I thought I would actually hurt myself and it’s something that I’ve never experienced before. The depression just got so deep that I couldn’t function,” shared Rodrigues-Turner. “The services and care provided at
Markham Stouffville Hospital were integral in my journey to recovery. I got my life back.”
The support from the Run for Women has addressed the unique obstacles that women in our community face and enabled the hospital’s women’s wellness program to support them on their paths to mental health wellness.
“Every year the need for mental health services is growing,” says Dr. Rus Sethna, Chief of Psychiatry at Oak Valley Health. “The Shoppers Drug Mart Run for Women and all who make this event possible help our organization deliver and expand programs that provide women with the unique support they need.”
Over the past seven years, the Shoppers Drug Mart Run for Women has contributed over $1 million to benefit women’s mental health care at MSH. This fundraising is necessary as the government can’t fund all of the hospital’s top priority needs. “Generous support is essential for Markham Stouffville Hospital to be able to remain on the cuttingedge of patient care,” says Suzette Strong, CEO, MSH Foundation. “Every dollar raised by participants supports mothers, daughters and friends in our community in taking the next step to recovery. We are so grateful for the partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart for making this possible.
L-R: Nadejda (Nadya) Ninos, Pharmacist-Owner, Shoppers Drug Mart (Leslie and Cummer), Genaia Darragh, District Manager, Shoppers Drug Mart (North York), Suzette Strong, CEO, MSH Foundation, Jason Lo, District Manager, Shoppers Drug Mart (GTA North), Mandeep Singh, Pharmacist Owner, Shoppers Drug Mart (McCowan and 16th Ave,
and King City) and Jo-anne Marr, President and CEO, Oak Valley Health
