Andrew’s passion and advocacy for women’s health inspires 20 Shoppers Drug Mart stores to direct campaign funds to WCHF.
When Andrew decided to become a pharmacist, he said it was simple decision. “It boiled down to being able to provide that first-rate patient care, in person, at any time,” says Yeh. “Our profession is really unique in the sense that we are health care professionals, but at the same time we are the most accessible ones out there.”
As a lead associate and pharmacist of two Shoppers Drug Mart stores in Toronto, Andrew Yeh sees a long line of Women’s College patients pass by his counter, and his son was born at WCH several years ago.
Yeh holds a special place in his heart for the hospital and knows how important it is to have an institution dedicated to women’s health. His experiences with Women’s College can be summed up in a few simple words: “caring, professional, empathetic and supportive.”
It’s because of Andrew’s passion and advocacy that for the second year in a row, Women’s College Hospital Foundation has been the beneficiary of the Shoppers Drug Mart Tree of Life Campaign. An initiative that offers customers a chance to purchase a leaf, butterfly or cardinal to display on the “tree of life” in the store where it was purchased.
In 2010, Andrew convinced 20 GTA stores (six more than in 2009) to direct their campaign funds to WCHF. Andrew made history pulling together those 20 stores, forming the largest group of Shoppers Drug Mart locations in Canada to support a single cause, ever, in the duration of the Tree of Life campaign.
“With the focus again on women’s care, it was a natural choice,” says Yeh. “There aren’t too many organizations that exemplify that kind of care around here.” The hard work of Andrew and his colleagues resulted in over $33,000 in customer donations to support programs at the new home of Women’s College Hospital.
If that wasn’t enough, Shoppers Drug Mart has recently announced a new initiative called WOMEN, addressing the vital importance of women’s health and putting resources and passion behind five impactful partnerships, including our very own Women’s Health Matters website. Andrew speaks highly of the program and can’t help but admit that the past two years of his advocacy with the Tree of Life campaign might have had a “little” influence on the decision.
Yeh is excited about the future, including the new building and the recently formed WOMEN partnership. “I think the community is excited. We see the new amenities and services that will be available and know Women’s College will have a unique opportunity to focus on the things that matter most to women.”
When it comes to women’s health, Andrew says it best: “100 years from now and even 100 years later, women’s care is still going to be vital to everyone’s health; women’s care is all of our care.”
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