Submitted by Cathy Viscount
It is National Volunteer Week, a time to recognize the volunteers that work so hard to make our communities the wonderful places they are in which to live. The Lion’s Head Hospital Auxiliary has an amazing group of people dedicated to support our local Lion’s Head Hospital. In the last fiscal year these volunteers have contributed around 3,500 hours of time. That’s equivalent to 87.5 forty-hour work weeks.
Our primary role is to raise funds to help keep quality health care local. Having current medical equipment is vital to attracting and keeping medical professionals, always a challenge in rural areas. Medical technology is always changing and evolving. So many people are unaware that the Ministry of Health does not fund purchases of items such as MRI machines, x-ray machines, ECG equipment or any other capital expense. If we want to maintain our local hospital’s ability to deliver current and quality health care, it is up to each community to raise the necessary funds.
While many organizations contribute to our hospital, the difference is our focus. LHHA’s sole purpose is to raise funds for our hospital at our events throughout the year. You’ll be happy to know that every cent raised goes to funding capital expenditures. Of course, without you, our wonderful, amazing, consistently supportive community, everything we do would be in vain. Many hospital auxiliaries are in awe of the support LHHA receives.
You’ve likely noticed that anything with the word medical attached to it does not come cheaply. For example, Brightshores Health System determined the need to purchase Automatic Dispensing Units (ADUs) for all their hospitals. Two were purchased, and recently installed at the Lion’s Head Hospital, one in the emergency department and one in the in-patient section. An ADU dispenses pharmaceuticals. The unit ensures that patients receive their medications quickly and accurately while doing inventory and alerting pharmacies when stock is running low. All this is done with touch screens and barcodes – high tech indeed. This reduces the time required by medical staff, enabling them to spend more time on actual patient care.
Each of those units cost a huge sum of money. Thanks to the supportive community in which we live the LHHA was able to contribute $48,000 towards the total cost. In the past two years we also contributed $35,000 for a transport ventilator, $32,000 towards the barrier free shower, and $35,000 for GlideScopes (for installing breathing tubes).
Big ticket items aren’t the only way funds raised are allocated. In past years LHHA donations to Lion’s Head Hospital have funded blankets and a blanket warmer, chairs for the patient lounge and, believe it or not, a bed for the doctor’s lounge. Imagine a long shift or bad weather. Up until the purchase of the bed there was nowhere for a doctor to grab some sleep. Even equipment such as a dishwasher and vacuum cleaner, came from donations to the LHHA.
So many things that we encounter in our hospitals exist because of the generosity of the communities which they serve; everything from the chairs we sit in to diagnostic and life saving equipment. The examples listed are a small selection of the ongoing needs of our local hospital. The needs are ever changing and ever evolving. While the LHHA is the fundraising organization, without your support we would not succeed. LHHA and the community have a symbiotic relationship; we depend and rely upon one another. During this time of Volunteer Recognition thank a volunteer and then give yourselves a pat on the back for supporting those volunteers.
Thank you so much and we look forward to seeing you at our Fish Fry in May, Perennials Sale in June and Annual Yard Sale in July. Don’t forget to keep your eyes open for the Bookstore and maybe some surprises…
Happy Spring, everyone and stay tuned.
