An incredibly generous donation of more than $50,000 from the Paynesville Op Shop Committee will fund the full purchase price of a new and potentially life-saving piece of equipment for Bairnsdale Regional Health Service’s Emergency Department.
The op shop committee last week presented BRHS with a cheque for $53,978 for a new Hamilton T1 ventilator.
This will be the second Hamilton T1 unit in the BRHS ED, which means ED staff can give breathing assistance to more than one patient at a time.
The units offer multiple ventilation phases for patients who are unable to breathe on their own, who can breathe but need assistance and those who need moistened air if they need longer-term ventilation therapy.
BRHS CEO Vicki Farthing said the second T1 ventilation offered much more flexibility and improved patient care.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Paynesville Op Shop Committee for their generous support to help us to buy such a state-of-the-art ventilation unit,” she said.
“A second T1 ventilator gives us more flexible life support capability that we can adapt to the different needs of critically ill patients.
“The T1 is a much more sophisticated ventilation system than previous units. It is also the same as the units we use in other parts of the hospital to support adults, perinatal patients, infants and children to breathe. It makes a real difference to health care for people in East Gippsland.”
Op shop committee vice-president Carole Dennison said the donation follows more than six months of sales from the op shop, which is located in Wellington Street, Paynesville. ”It (the T1 ventilator) was on the top of the hospital’s wish list when we approached them about the donation,” she said.
Seventeen volunteers keep the Paynesville Op Shop running. All proceeds raised support a range of local charities and organisations.
“Everything we raise here goes to the local community. We don’t give to any of those overseas organisations, and BRHS is something we will all need at some time” Carole said.
- The Paynesville Op Shop is located at 8 Wellington Street, Paynesville, and offers a range of goods including clothing, shows, toys, books and bric-a-brac. It’s open from 10.30am to 3.30pm Tuesday to Friday and 10.30am to 1pm on weekends. It also opens on some public holidays.
