Duane Hicks
The Riverside Foundation for Health Care wants district residents to get “pumped” for the holidays—and consider making a charitable donation.
The Foundation’s annual Christmas donation campaign is underway, with the focus this year on getting intravenous (IV) pumps for its health-care facilities in Fort Frances, Emo, and Rainy River.
Foundation director Samantha Manty said that each year, the Foundation asks Riverside Health Care Facilities, Inc. what it is most in need of, and this year it was IV pumps.
“What they’re trying to do is standardize IV pumps across all of the Riverside health-care sites,” she noted.
“It’s really nice because it is something that is giving back to the entire district,” added Manty.
“The reason these pumps are so important is that it reduces a lot risks of error if the nurses and staff are using the same equipment at all of the different facilities,” she explained.
“Also, the new pumps have medication libraries, which help the staff provide the correct dosages of medication, the correct infusion rates, and things like that.”
Manty said there’s no doubt the IV pumps are needed. Many patients who come through the health centres take IV therapy—and it’s a need that’s growing.
“If we get these IV pumps, they’re going to last a really long time,” she noted. “We’ll be helping patients for years to come.
“It’s really is a good project.”
Manty said fundraising for the pumps has been ongoing for a little while.
“For example, when we did our ‘Canada Day Cash’ campaign, the proceeds from that went to the standardization of IV pumps,” she noted, adding the recent “Glitter & Glass” fundraiser generated another $1,500 towards the IV pumps.
“It’s a big project,” Manty stressed. “The project overall is expected to cost around $100,000 and we’ve been picking away at it and helping while we can.
“For this Christmas, our goal is to purchase five single-channel IV pumps, so the expected cost for that is going to be around $22,650 to purchase the five.
“Our Christmas wish list is to be able to purchase five of them,” she reiterated. “As we keep going, we’ll keep trying to purchase more pumps for the sites.
“But at this moment, we need at least one pump for each site.”
Manty said the Foundation really is hoping the community will help out.
A mail-out has been sent to all district residents; just fill it out and send it back to the Foundation.
Donations of more than $20 will get you a tax receipt, noted Manty, adding that in order to apply that receipt to your 2014 taxes, you’ll need to make that donation prior to Dec. 31.
If you did not get an envelope and pledge card from the Foundation in the mail, you always can write a cheque to the Riverside Foundation for Health Care and, in the memo section, write “IV pump,” and they’ll know the donation is specifically for that, Manty said.
“Or if they’d like a pledge card, they can always give me a call and I’ll send them out another letter or pledge card,” she added.
Manty can be reached at 274-4803.
