Community’s generosity delivers on hospital Wishlist

May 20, 2015

Thanks to funds raised by the Sunshine Coast community, Nambour General Hospital has benefited from over $160,000 worth of much-needed medical equipment and supplies including an Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) machine handed over by Wishlist CEO Lisa Rowe today.

Ms Rowe thanked the 550-plus businesspeople and community members who came together as part of the 2014 Wishlist Spring Carnival Gala Lunch and collectively raised more than $169,000 for local health services in September last year.

“While we initially set out with the goal of raising $94,000 for the EUS machine, the overwhelming generosity of the local community saw us almost double this figure, enabling us to purchase a range of extra items that will assist a variety of local patients including children in the paediatric ward, cancer patients and premature babies,” Ms Rowe said.

“We’re incredibly grateful for all the support generated by the Spring Carnival lunch and can’t thank the community enough for digging deep and raising such a significant amount in just four hours.”

Clinical Nurses Consultant at Nambour General Hospital’s Procedural Suites Peter Waugh said the new EUS machine would allow hundreds of local biliary, oesophageal and rectal cancer patients to receive diagnosis of the ‘staging’ of their illness on the Sunshine Coast.

“In the past, patients have had to travel to Brisbane to access this service, which often places more strain on families who are already going through a difficult time,” Mr Waugh said.

“The new machine will enable us to identify the stage of a patient’s disease and consequently, determine the most effective treatment plan as quickly as possible.”

Senior Medical Officer at Nambour’s Emergency Department Dr Joseph Deverill said he was also extremely grateful for the addition of a $58,000 Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS), which had been purchased for the hospital’s Emergency Department with the Wishlist funds raised.

“The POCUS is used on both adults and children and is particularly useful in locating veins, guiding lumbar punctures and assisting with placing chest drains and intubating children,” Dr Deverill said.

Nursing Unit Manager Sam Lannan said the hospital’s special care nursery would also benefit from the funds raised, with $12,000 put towards the purchase of a three-year supply of pasteurised human donor milk and a further $8,000 contributed to the purchase of a T-Piece Resuscitaire for the special care nursery.

“This item enables our existing humidicrib to become a resuscitation area as well. This means it can be taken to a high-risk birth and once the baby is born, he or she can be resuscitated if need be,” Ms Lannan said.

“This produces far better patient outcomes as the baby doesn’t need to be moved to be weighed or for any other purposes until it is well enough.”

Ms Rowe said a further $1,000 had also been allocated to the hospital’s diversional therapy program, which sees therapists use yoga and music, as well as interaction with animals and structured play sessions to help reduce stress, anxiety and insomnia amongst paediatric patients.

“While battling an illness is tough for anyone, it is especially difficult for children who often don’t fully comprehend what is going on in their body,” Ms Rowe said.

“The diversional therapy program provides an outlet for them to express their frustration and also takes their mind off their illness and the hospital environment. If they can spend a few hours simply being a kid and having fun during a difficult time, it’s a wonderful outcome.”

The remaining Wishlist funds have been allocated to the purchase of an iPad for parent education, a C-MAC video laryngoscope for use with airway management and a DVD player for the Children’s Ward.

The 2015 Wishlist Spring Carnival Gala Lunch will be held on 18 September at The Events Centre in Caloundra with the cause and celebrities soon to be announced. A limited number of tickets are still available. For more information, please visit www.wishlist.org.au.

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Media contact

Maya Gurry, Fresh PR & Marketing
P: 0410 109 102
E: maya@freshprm.com.au

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