JOINT CORPORATE CAMPAIGN OF CHUM AND MUHC FOUNDATIONS RECEIVES MAJOR BOOST
WITH $4-MILLION DONATION FROM RBC ROYAL BANK

MONTREAL, Oct. 18 /CNW Telbec/ - The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Foundation and the Fondation du Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) announced today that Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is making a $4-million contribution to their Joint Corporate Campaign in support of the modernization of academic health care in Montreal.

"RBC is committed to helping organizations make a difference and inspire others. Donations are intended to create social and economic opportunities that strengthen the health and well being in communities where we do business. The joint MUHC/CHUM campaign is a unique opportunity to play an active role in the community," said Micheline Martin, President, RBC Royal Bank, Quebec Headquarters.

The new facilities for Montreal's two university health centres will meet the highest standards of 21st-century medical infrastructure. Spacious, strategically located and technologically advanced, the new MUHC and CHUM are being designed to provide patients with the highest level of specialized care in a healing environment, while also accommodating the innovative research and teaching for which both institutions are renowned.

"Montreal has long been a life sciences hub of excellence—a hub that shines a spotlight clear across Quebec, indeed around the world, on our talented and dedicated healthcare professionals and scientists," noted the Hon. Arthur T. Porter, MUHC Director General and CEO.  "However, talent and dedication alone cannot sustain the pursuit of excellence. Corporate donations such as RBC's today provide our life sciences hub with the support we need to accelerate discoveries, translate knowledge into prevention programs, better diagnostics and more complete treatments." 

"With this donation, RBC is contributing to a healthy future for all Quebecers," said Christian Paire, Director General of the CHUM, while emphasizing the importance of such a donation to the project to build the new CHUM. "Apart from improving the quality of health services, this project is an important contributor to economic activity in Montreal and all of Quebec," he added.

"In recent months the Montreal and Quebec business community has responded very generously to our campaign to help finance these two vital projects," said John A. Rae, chair of The Best Care for Life campaign of the MUHC. "This generous donation is evidence of that response."

The Chair of the Fondation du CHUM, Gilles Dulude, thanked RBC on behalf of his whole board for its contribution to the modernization of the CHUM. "This gift symbolizes the importance of the combined work of our two foundations and is proof that the business community is supporting us, which we appreciate truly much," he said.

About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) and its subsidiaries operate under the master brand name RBC. We are Canada's largest bank as measured by assets and market capitalization, and among the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment banking and transaction processing services on a global basis. We employ approximately 78,000 full- and part-time employees who serve close to 18 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 51 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.

About the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) and the Fondation du CHUM
The Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal offers specialized and ultra-specialized services to local and regional clients as well as general and specialized hospital care for its more immediate service area. The CHUM has five aspects to its overall mission: care, teaching research, evaluation of technology and health interventions, and health promotion in the context of an integrated health network. The CHUM serves more than half a million patients per year. www.chumontreal.qc.ca. The mission of the Fondation du CHUM is to assure the CHUM has an ongoing source of private funding to complement its public funding by contributing to constant improvement in patient care through the acquisition of modern equipment, support of research activities, teaching and health promotion. www.fondationduchum.com

About the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC)

One of the world's foremost academic health centres, the MUHC offers exceptional and integrated patient-centric care, research teaching and technology assessment. Highly committed to the continuum of care in its community and affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University, The Montreal Children's Hospital, the Montreal General Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Montreal Neurological Hospital, the Montreal Chest Institute and the Lachine Hospital of the MUHC value multidisciplinary service throughout the lifespan, innovative technologies and practices, strategic partnerships and leadership in knowledge transfer. The MUHC is currently carrying out a $2.25-billion Redevelopment Project on three campuses—the Mountain, the Glen and Lachine—designed to provide healthcare professionals with an effective environment in which to ensure patients and their families benefit from The Best Care for Life.  The campuses are also anchored in best sustainable-development practices, including LEED^® and BOMA BESt guidelines. www.muhc.ca

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For further information:

Danielle Taylor
Public Affairs and Strategic Planning
514 934-1934, 34319
[email protected]

Hélène Normandin
Directrice, Communications et marketing
Fondation du CHUM
514 890-8361
[email protected]