(OTTAWA, ONTARIO) – Two organizations committed to excellent health care are once again teaming up for the Tree of Life campaign.

Forty-two Shoppers Drug Mart outlets in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario will be donating 75 per cent of the funds raised through this campaign to the Critical Care Wing at the General Campus of the Ottawa Hospital.

The remaining 25 per cent will be directed to national healthcare charities working on treatment, awareness, education and research initiatives.

From September 22 through to October 19, you can purchase your “leaf” at Shoppers Drug Mart for a loonie, a “maple leaf” for $5, or an “apple” for $50. Each “leaf” will then be personalized by you and placed on a branch of the tree, displayed prominently in the store.

The General’s Critical Care Wing will house 17 new operating rooms, a state-of-the-art Intensive Care Unit and a Centre for Chronic Pain Management.

“It’s campaigns like this one that bring communities together,” said Susan Doyle, Foundation President and CEO. “We thank Shoppers Drug Mart, their employees and their customers for helping us make a difference.”

Over $7.1 million has been raised for Canadian healthcare charities since the Tree of Life campaign was introduced in 2002. “The results are incredible and a true testament to the generosity of our customers,” said Bashir Surani, pharmacist/owner of two Shoppers Drug Mart locations in Ottawa.

The Ottawa Hospital is a multi-campus, academic health sciences centre, serving 1.5 million residents of Ottawa and Eastern Ontario, both in English and French. It provides care for more patients than any other hospital in Canada, and boasts specialty centres in cancer, heart, kidney and vision care, as well as rehabilitation services. For more information, visit The Ottawa Hospital Web site at www.ottawahospital.on.ca.

The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s mission is to inspire and enable people to support the highest quality health care at The Ottawa Hospital and lifesaving research at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. For more information, visit The Ottawa Hospital Foundation Web site at www.ohfoundation.ca.

Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation is one of the most recognized and trusted names in Canadian retailing, with more than 1000 Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix stores operating in every province and two territories. Shoppers Drug Mart stores are owned by local pharmacists who live, work and give back to the communities they serve. For more information on the 2007 Tree of Life campaign, visit www.shoppersdrugmart.ca.

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For more information, please contact:

Steve Blais
Communications Advisor
The Ottawa Hospital Foundation
(613) 798-5555 ext. 18718
stblais@ottawahospital.on.ca