Mandarin Charitable Foundation donates gift to Schulich Heart Centre

TORONTO, November 8, 2007 - Mandarin Charitable Foundation donates $1 million gift to Sunnybrook Foundation in support of the Schulich Heart Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, celebrated today at an unveiling ceremony.

"The cardiac-vascular surgical team of the Schulich Heart Centre is very pleased to partner with the Mandarin Restaurant chain," says Dr. Robert Maggisano, senior vascular surgeon at
Sunnybrook. "This investment will allow us to successfully treat patients that may not be treatable by currently available techniques, and will allow us to do so with less risk than we have ever experienced."

Mandarin's investment is targeted at improving the care of patients undergoing vascular procedures. The funding is equally designated to support the Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) program, a minimally invasive technique used to treat high-risk patients, and renovations to the vascular unit. In recognition of this gift, the vascular clinic will be named the Mandarin Vascular Outpatient Clinic.

"It is exciting for the heart program to receive such support as it is a very important area. We are grateful that the Mandarin Charitable Foundation is doing its part to help create the future of health care," says Dr. Brian Gilbert, chief, Schulich Heart Centre, and head of cardiology at Sunnybrook. "This is a tremendous gift, our vascular physicians and scientists are thrilled."

"We are honoured to receive such generous support from the Mandarin Charitable Foundation," says Kevin Goldthorp, CEO, Sunnybrook Foundation. "This donation recognizes the leadership role Schulich Heart Centre plays in transforming health care, ensuring the best in cardiovascular care is available to our patients when it matters most."

From interventional cardiology to cardiovascular surgery to advanced clinical research, Schulich Heart Centre is the academic cardiovascular centre for Sunnybrook and a national leader in cardiovascular care, with over 6, 500 surgical, catheterization, angioplasty and pace maker cases per year. Services include emergency cardiovascular care, diagnostic and interventional procedures, cardiovascular surgery, electrophysiology, cardiac rhythm management and an ambulatory cardiology practice including hypertension and heart failure. Schulich Heart Centre has achieved significant milestones by offering patients some of the world's most innovative techniques that are safer and less invasive than ever before.