If you were a doctor in the emergency department at Sechelt Hospital, what would you want for Christmas? Bear in mind the hospital’s ER sees over 19,000 patients each year, at all hours of the day and night.
It turns out what you want is something that will improve care for anyone needing blood work assessment after hours: an i-STAT blood analyzer.
The not-so-secret Santa behind this major gift is Mardie Campbell. She was grateful for the excellent medical care she has received on the Coast so she reached out to her family doctor and asked, “What do you need for the ER?”
Dr. Ruan van Rooyen noted that “critically ill patients and patients requiring resuscitation are dependent on staff members making immediate, potentially life-saving decisions in a timely manner. During after-hours times, these results may take time and delay decision-making. Staff members who are trained to, can utilize the i-STAT module to obtain these critical blood test results in a point-of-care, bedside manner, within minutes. This ensures a substantial reduction in the decision-making time and a potential for better outcomes.”
Michelle Stanton, manager, Acute Services, added: “This type of equipment is used in many large emergency departments and will allow Sechelt Emergency the same rapid access to results.”
In Mid- November, a request for funding was submitted by Hospital Leadership to the Sechelt Hospital Foundation board. Campbell’s gift covered the equipment, testing cartridges and some staff training.
In addition to giving a gift that will help others, the donor elected to not give her gift anonymously.
“I want others to see how an individual, family or group of friends can make our hospital a better place. This is an opportunity for community members to help out locally, where we all need our care the most,” remarked Campbell.
Donations to Sechelt Hospital Foundation’s Annual Fund go to the area of greatest need, including the COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund. For more information, please direct your calls or emails to: Jane Macdonald, executive director, 604-885-8637 or [email protected]. To make a donation, please visit: www.SecheltHospitalFoundation.org. Mailing Address: Sechelt Hospital Foundation, PO Box 1761, Sechelt, BC, V0N 3A0. Charitable Registration Number: 88915-7194-RR-0001.
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