Remembering Betty Birmingham

May 25, 2023 – Oakville Hospital Foundation remembers Betty Birmingham, a cherished member of our community, a devoted philanthropist and loyal supporter of the Oakville Hospital Foundation.

Together with her late husband Bruce, Betty’s unwavering commitment to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) made a profound impact on patient care in Oakville and Halton region. Over four decades, the Birmingham’s visionary philanthropy advanced care in areas such as oncology, surgery, laboratory, diagnostic imaging, and the emergency department. They always recognized the need to support their local community hospital and put their considerable energies behind it, inspiring others to follow their lead. Bruce created the Bank Bed Challenge encouraging the local banks to compete against each other to raise funds for patient beds for OTMH and Betty continued to passionately champion this initiative after Bruce’s passing. She was also a driving force behind the New Oakville Hospital campaign as both a lead donor and honourary co-chair of the campaign cabinet.

A donor for more than 35 years, Betty’s enduring legacy at OTMH will always be her steadfast commitment to improving local access to cancer care services. Her philanthropy transformed cancer care in Oakville and was instrumental in establishing OTMH’s Cancer Care Clinic, a department named in honour of Betty and Bruce. She continued to passionately support the Cancer Clinic at OTMH after it opened in 2016, most recently with the establishment of the Breast Diagnostic Assessment Program and the expansion of the Cancer Clinic Pharmacy.

Betty possessed a true philanthropic spirit. Her charitable giving extended across local, regional, and national levels, encompassing healthcare, education, sports, arts, and social services. With strength and compassion, she helped bring about tangible change to profoundly improve the lives of countless individuals. Her generosity has and will continue to touch all of us in Oakville.