December 21, 2015
One-year-old Brooklynn Rain House doesn’t seem to mind the toe sensor that monitors her heart rate and oxygen levels following her surgery at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital. Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation partnered with 2DayFM for a Dec. 10 radiothon to raise money for five new pediatric monitoring units.
Story by Kerri Robins; Photo by Brittany Dykhuizen
GRANDE PRAIRIE — The airwaves touched hearts and won a warm, generous reception when the second annual radiothon — sponsored by the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation and 2DayFM — raised $16,500 to buy five new vital-sign monitors for pediatrics at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital.
Unit manager Dianne Sweetman says she’s pretty happy: “The monitors are state-of-the-art upgrades to our current models.”
The monitors, which cost $3,300 each, offer portability and can be taken to a child’s bedside, which Sweetman says is really important for patients who require frequent monitoring.
“The units monitor heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and temperature, and depending on how well our patient is doing, determines how often we have to monitor them,” adds Sweetman.
“We’ve got three monitors on our unit right now — and having the new upgraded models means having more equipment for our day surgery area, which is very important because we have to monitor patients frequently after surgery.”
With their wireless capability, she adds, the new units can also provide an electronic record of vital signs for staff.
“We aren’t on wi-fi right now, but keeping future technology in mind, it’s great having units that will transfer over to wireless networks once we get them,” says Sweetman.
Cindy Park, foundation executive director, says she’s pleased to fund the pediatrics department: “It’s nice to ensure our little patients get the care they need, with the use of portable equipment that allows them to move around and not have to be confined to their beds.
“Our radio-thon was a real success, and we are grateful to all our community members, especially Canadian Tire who (alone) donated enough to purchase two monitors. Everyone helped make this event fun, while helping us achieve our goal of continuing to provide great care to our kids.”
Last year’s radiothon raised $20,000 and helped the foundation buy a neo-natal incubator for its neo-natal intensive care unit. For more information, please visit qe2hospitalfoundation.com.
