The Seaforth Community Hospital Foundation has announced an ambitious $655,000 pledge that will help the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance upgrade a wide range of equipment there over the next two years.
The commitment “is rather large for us,” foundation chair Ron Lavoie said.
A major gift the foundation recently received from a local family will help, but a significant fundraising effort will still be needed, he added.
“This effort’s already started,” Lavoie said. “We’ll be campaigning throughout the balance of the year. The foundation applauds the generosity of our donors who help to ensure that Seaforth Community Hospital has the equipment it needs to continue providing exceptional care to our community.”
Among the upgrades the pledge is expected to support is a new ultrasound suite. Ultrasound machines are essential imaging devices that help medical experts monitor pregnancies, diagnose a variety of conditions and diseases, and determine treatment plans. The units are portable, which means they’re used in the hospital’s imaging department, inpatient unit, and emergency room.
The current ultrasound suite in Seaforth is nearing the end of its lifespan, increasing the risk of service interruptions if replacement parts are not available. Not only that, newer ultrasounds allow for better picture quality, more user-friendly features, and larger monitors.
“We have ultrasound capacities across all of our sites and we’re upgrading our technology now to ensure it’s the most current,” said Andrew Williams, chief executive of the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance, an umbrella group that includes hospitals in Seaforth, Clinton, St. Marys and Stratford. “The digital piece is key from an image-quality point of view – it allows radiologists in remote sites to review the images and provide real time feedback. It just keeps us at the leading edge … which is always what you want to try and do for your patients.”
The pledge in Seaforth also will support the purchase of other equipment, including wheelchairs and resources for staff training.
The foundation is Seaforth holds a 50/50 draw each August that’s currently ongoing. An October radiothon and December Christmas campaign are upcoming. More information is available on the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance website.
Seaforth isn’t the only community in the region asking residents for help purchasing new medical equipment.
The Stratford General Hospital Foundation launched the public portion of its $30-million In Our Hands fundraising campaign at a special event in June. At the time, the foundation said it needed to raise about $8 million in the community to reach its goal.
“We have four very active foundations across the (hospital alliance) and most of the equipment that we have in our hospitals is through the generosity of the community,” Williams said. “They’re big pieces of our team, there’s no two ways about it.”