On Wednesday, September 16, the Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital (HGMH) Foundation announced an anonymous donor has made a $20,000 gift to the Foundation support the purchase of portable cardiac monitoring equipment for the Emergency Department.
The gift will help replace obsolete cardiac monitors with modern, portable technology that allows healthcare professionals to continuously monitor patients at the bedside and as they move through the hospital.
The donation also highlights an important reality for HGMH: while the Foundation’s $3.5-million CT scanner campaign remains a major priority, the hospital must continue investing in other medical equipment at the same time.
“Building stronger rural healthcare is about increasing the level and range of care our hospital can safely provide,” said Mark Adam, Chair of Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital Foundation. “That means ensuring our healthcare teams have access to up-to-date equipment and technology, from a major investment like a CT scanner to portable equipment like these cardiac monitors. These tools are made possible through the generosity of donors who step up to help equip our hospital with what our teams need to care for patients.”
According to Kelsey Duval, RN, MScN, Manager, Emergency Department & Respiratory Care, the monitors can be used for patients experiencing chest pain or suspected cardiac problems, shortness of breath, trauma, serious infections, strokes and other acute medical conditions.
“Patients in an Emergency Department can change quickly,” said Duval. “Continuous monitoring gives the care team an ongoing picture of important vital signs, making it easier to recognize when something is beginning to change.”
The monitors can also accompany patients to X-ray and, once HGMH’s onsite CT scanner is operational, to the CT department while maintaining continuous cardiac monitoring.
“Having reliable, modern equipment gives our healthcare teams the tools they need to provide safe, high-quality care with confidence,” said Robert Alldred-Hughes, President and CEO of HGMH. “For a rural hospital like HGMH, the more capability we have here at home, the better positioned we are to safely care for patients in our community and avoid unnecessary transfers to larger centres.”
Medical equipment is an ongoing need at HGMH as older equipment reaches the end of its useful life and technology continues to advance.
The donor has chosen to remain anonymous.
