Vic De Zen Family pledges $10M donation to future Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital

VAUGHAN, ON, Sept. 27, 2016 /CNW/ - Prominent Vaughan citizen and entrepreneur Vic De Zen and his family have pledged $10 million to help build and equip the future Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital – the largest donation to date from an individual to Mackenzie Health Foundation's $250-million Exceptional Care Belongs Here campaign.

The main lobby at the new hospital, slated for completion in 2020, will be named the Vic De Zen Family Welcome Centre in recognition of the transformative gift pledge to Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital.

"Vaughan is where my family was raised and continues to live; it's where I built successful businesses with thousands of employees who live here and in the surrounding area. We're very proud to give back to this great city and our community by helping to build the world-class hospital that Vaughan needs and deserves," Mr. De Zen said at the announcement of the gift at Vaughan City Hall today.

Mackenzie Health Foundation is spearheading the multi-year Exceptional Care Belongs Here campaign – the largest fundraising drive led by a community hospital in Canada – to help build and equip the much anticipated Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, Canada's first "smart" hospital, and to enhance care at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital.

"Vic and Angelina De Zen and their family are defining 'exceptional' with this extraordinary act of generosity and early leadership in this crucially important hospital fundraising campaign," Mackenzie Health Foundation President and CEO Ingrid Perry said. "Inspired by a commitment to community building, this gift pledge of $10 million will help to transform care for our family, friends and neighbours in southwest York Region."

"Vic De Zen and his family embody the spirit of generosity that defines our city," Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua said at the announcement. "Their extraordinary contribution to Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital is a demonstration of their dedication to our community and their commitment to a legacy of giving back. I thank Mr. De Zen and his family for coming forward and I am confident that their leadership will inspire others to do the same."

Mackenzie Health is honoured to recognize the profound generosity and impact of this gift by Mr. De Zen and his family by naming the main lobby at Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital the Vic De Zen Family Welcome Centre, Mackenzie Health President and CEO Altaf Stationwala said.

According to Mr. Stationwala, the innovative, state-of-the-art and patient-centred design of the new hospital will be reflected in the soaring multi-story, natural light-filled Vic De Zen Family Welcome Centre. The warm and welcoming public space will feature extensive seating and reception, information and concierge services. The Vic De Zen Family Welcome Centre will provide direct access to the public elevators, patients relations, medical imaging, clinics and treatment areas, as well as links to a parkade, nearby cascading gardens, retail areas, restaurants, a pharmacy and health resource centre.

"An extraordinary entranceway to Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, the Vic De Zen Family Welcome Centre will set the tone for a world-class health experience," Mr. Stationwala said.

Infrastructure Ontario and Mackenzie Health announced last month that Plenary Health will design, build, finance and maintain the new Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital. The preferred proponent was selected after extensive evaluations following a request for proposals process that began in June 2015. The project is expected to reach commercial and financial close this fall, soon to be followed by the beginning of construction.

QUICK FACTS

• Mackenzie Health is a regional health care provider serving southwest York Region through a two-hospital model that includes Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital, the future Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, Canada's first "smart" hospital, and a network of community sites in Richmond Hill, Vaughan and Barrie.
  
  Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital will be the first hospital in Canada with fully integrated "smart" technology, which features systems and medical devices that communicate directly to maximize information exchange and improve the patient experience.
  
  Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, which will provide an additional 350 beds, 1,800 full-time staff positions and 100 physician specialists to Mackenzie Health, will feature a state-of-the-art emergency department, surgical services and operating rooms, diagnostic imaging, specialized ambulatory clinics and intensive care beds, and approximately 90-per-cent single occupancy acute-care patient rooms.
  
  
• Mackenzie Health Foundation is spearheading the $250-million Exceptional Care Belongs Here campaign – the largest fundraising drive led by a community hospital in Canada – to help build and equip Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital and enhance care at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital. The Foundation has raised more than $111 million for capital projects, medical equipment, technology and educational opportunities for Mackenzie Health since 1977.
  
  
• Vic De Zen owns and operates ZZEN Group, a real estate development, construction and property management company in Vaughan, and Vision Extrusions Group Limited, a building products business that is opening its eleventh manufacturing plant in Vaughan in December. Over the span of 35 years, Vic has developed and built 35 million square feet of industrial and commercial space in Vaughan, making him one of the largest industrial developers in the city. Vic and his wife, Angelina, reside in Woodbridge and have two sons, Sergio and James (deceased) and five grandchildren.

SOURCE Mackenzie Health Foundation

Image with caption: "Prominent Vaughan citizen and entrepreneur Vic De Zen announced today a $10-million gift pledge from his family to Mackenzie Health Foundation to help build Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital. Members of the family at the Vaughan City Hall announcement event were (from left) Colby, Sergio, Angelina, Libby, Vic, Brittany and Jeff. (CNW Group/Mackenzie Health Foundation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160927_C4893_PHOTO_EN_783023.jpg

Debora Kelly, Director, Communications, Marketing & Stewardship, Mackenzie Health Foundation, [email protected], 905.883.1212, ext. 7803