IMP Group Makes $150,000 Mental Health Investment

(HALIFAX -- Sept. 8, 2009)

IMP Group has made a significant donation to the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia. Today in Halifax, Ken Rowe announced a $150,000 donation to the Foundations’ Opening Minds Capital Campaign. “With one in five people living with mental illness, I am well aware how serious an issue mental health is”, said Rowe, Executive Chairman of IMP Group. “It is my hope that this financial gift will help improve the lives of many Nova Scotians, helping to remove them from institutional life.”

The funds will be used to help the Community Living Initiative become a reality. Earlier this year, Simpson Hall, the former nurses’ residence, located at the Nova Scotia Hospital site in Dartmouth, was demolished to make way for the construction of four, ten unit bungalows. These units will be designated for those patients who have demonstrated a period of stability and are preparing to transition back into the community.

The site continues to be prepared for construction, which is expected to start this Fall. “These new units will make a big difference in the lives of those who are ready for transition from the hospital setting”, said Rowe. It will help pave the way for them to become more independent citizens living productively within our communities.”

Mr. Rowe and his wife Dorothy, Honorary Chair of the campaign, have been strong supporters of mental health. One of the units will be named in honor of IMP Groups’ Nova Scotia employees. “This is a significant contribution that will make a huge impact on our campaign”, said Mary Lou Crowley, President & CEO of the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia. “We owe a great deal of thanks to IMP Group for its philanthropic leadership.”

The Opening Minds Capital Campaign is Nova Scotia’s first ever capital campaign for mental health.  It will help create a dedicated fund for mental health care programs and services located in communities across the province.  It will ensure patients have greater access to services and support closer to the area where they live. “The donation of $150,000 from IMP Group is a wonderful gift and will play a vital role in the construction of a very exciting project”, said Greg Grice, Chair of the Opening Minds Capital Campaign. “It is these kinds of donations that are making a big difference.”

The Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia raises funds through its’ signature events – A Different Stage of Mind, Golf Classic Fore Mental Health and Festival of Trees. Through these major fundraising efforts, and with the support of donors and volunteers, the Foundation is changing the way people think about mental health.

The Foundation is a registered charitable foundation that was established in 1987 to create a higher level of awareness of mental health and to support organizations to deliver the highest level of mental health care in every community in Nova Scotia.

Media contact:

Paul Palmeter
Manager, Marketing and Communications
Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia
Phone:  902-464-5994
E-mail:paul.palmeter@chda.nshealth.ca