Board Profile

Jim Burns… with enthusiasm

There’s nothing like becoming a patient to make a person truly appreciate their hospital.

“Everyone realizes they’re going to be a patient someday,” says Jim Burns, Past Board Chair of the Stratford General Hospital Foundation. “Sooner or later I’m going to need that hospital too, and I want it to be the best it can be.”

That’s a message that Jim hopes will inspire people to support the Heart & Soul Campaign for the Stratford site’s new Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, Surgical Suite, Diagnostic Imaging, Maternal Child Unit and Mental Health Services—a complete revitalization of the site’s core areas. It’s also a factor that helps make raising money for a hospital easier—but not easy, he says.

For anyone who still needs convincing, Jim has some simple advice—“come and see”.  Tours for individuals and community groups are available to show people the challenges of the existing facility and what can be accomplished with their support. “We know they’re going to walk out of here believing what we believe—the time is now,” he says.

It’s first-hand experience of health care that eventually led Jim to the Foundation Board. While he grew up and went to school in the Stratford area, he decided to join the U.S. Army as a young man and was sent overseas to Korea as a peacekeeper.

“The war was over by the time I got there. Nobody took a shot at me and I appreciated that,” he laughs. But he did face a battle upon returning home, having contracted tuberculosis while overseas. He spent a year in a Pennsylvania hospital recovering from the disease and surgery.

Rather than re-enlist, Jim headed home to Stratford. He got married to his wife Judy, had a daughter and got a job at the Post Office where he worked mainly as a letter carrier.  Active in the union, he was recruited onto the Stratford General Hospital Board as a labor representative in the 1980’s. He developed a deep appreciation for volunteer board members—an appreciation which continues to grow.

“I realized there were a lot of smart, dedicated people who were doing their best for our healthcare system,” he says. It’s also where he learned a valuable lesson that helps guide his thinking and decision making on the Foundation Board. “In everything you do, measure how it’s going to affect the patients. That helps you stay grounded.”

But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing since coming on the Foundation Board in 1999—particularly during his two years as Board Chairman. It required some personal growth and stretching of his “comfort zone”, particularly when public speaking and asking people directly for their support.

“Now I’m able to do all those things, but only because I truly believe in what we’re doing,” he says. “Still, I’m happy when there’s a lectern to hold on to, because my knees still shake.”

He’s especially positive as support for the “Heart & Soul” redevelopment campaign is solid, both from municipal and provincial governments. And he’s quite certain the community will show they believe in the hospital by responding generously when approached in the months ahead.

The quiet stage of the campaign has surpassed $13.5 million towards the $20 million local share. The Foundation has assembled a team of dedicated volunteers that are in the process of approaching various sectors of the community for their support.

“I have great confidence in the community. People support the hospital and they like the staff,” he says. “When the ribbon is ultimately cut, we’ll have built a place of healing for all of us. Every one who takes a part in this accomplishment will be proud.”

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