​Kincardine Hospital - dependable, quality care - Anne Wright’s story

If there are two things Anne Wright understands about the Kincardine Hospital, it’s that fund-raising is an essential part of keeping a health-care facility viable, and that the Kincardine Hospital has always been there for her when she needed it.

Anne has been coming to Kincardine her entire life. In fact, seven generations of her family have spent their summers at Bruce Beach.

Bruce Beach is steeped in history, and many of the original cottage owners’ families continue to spend their summers in Kincardine. Kids who grew up together now watch their own children forging life-long friendships with the children of their childhood friends.

Anne’s parents met at Bruce Beach, and when she started dating her husband, Larry, in the 1960s, she remembers saying, “I told him that if he didn’t like Bruce Beach, he wasn’t in the running.”

Fortunately, the feeling was mutual. Anne and Larry married in 1966 and went on to raise three boys.
Over the years, there were plenty of trips to the hospital. “We were in for minor things … kids have stuff that happens to them,” says Anne.

But one day in the 1970s, a more serious event led to a visit to the Kincardine emergency room. While playing with a Bruce Beach friend, her son, David, cut his arm with a scythe. “Whoever was on call came and sewed it up and put a cast on it,” Anne recalls.

When the family returned to Toronto later that summer, Anne booked a follow-up with a pediatric orthopaedic specialist at Sick Kids Hospital. The specialist examined David’s arm and said, “I couldn’t have done this better myself.”

Although Anne and Larry never had a regular doctor in Kincardine, she says it has always been reassuring to know that quality health care is nearby. “I have confidence when I go there.”

About 10 years ago, Larry, who was diabetic, woke up one morning feeling unwell. Thinking it might be low blood sugar, he and Anne headed to Kincardine Hospital. Within minutes, a team was working on Larry. He was having a heart attack. Dr. Roth led the team.

“I was pretty impressed with her skills,” says Anne. When Larry regained consciousness, Dr. Roth asked him if he knew who Anne was. She remembers saying, “He better get this right — after all, I have invested a lot of years in this guy!”

Anne says she will always be grateful for the emergency team’s expertise and compassion. “It is so meaningful to me that Larry had this wonderful care. They saved his life, for heaven’s sake.”



Anne (left) and Larry Wright

Her appreciation for quality health care runs deeper than her personal experiences. She served as chairperson of the board of Lakeridge Health for six years, volunteered on the Port Perry Auxiliary, and supported Camp Huronda, as well as the Ontario and Canadian Diabetes Associations.

For decades, she has worked tirelessly to raise funds for a variety of organizations, including hospitals. She knows some people don’t understand why communities need to fund-raise for hospital growth and equipment. “Every hospital in Canada raises funds,” says Anne, “and hospital equipment is agonizingly expensive.”

Hospital needs continue to evolve — costly new technologies, growing populations, and staffing shortages all present challenges. But Anne knows these challenges can be overcome.

When asked why she thinks Kincardine has been able to offer dependable care over the years, says says, "Smaller community hospitals often give better care - more personal, quicker and more effective."

Even though she and her family are, technically, “cottagers,” she considers them residents too — and she believes in giving back to the place that has given her so much.

Her message is simple, “Kincardine Hospital is here for you. You may live somewhere else, but when you are here, you will receive good care.”