Interior Health is thankful to two valuable supporters of health care in the East Kootenay region who have teamed up to purchase two new portable ultrasound units for the East Kootenay Regional Hospital (EKRH).

The two ultrasound units are valued at $71,000 each, with the funds donated by the East Kootenay Foundation for Health and the Cranbrook Health Care Auxiliary. Funds were raised by the two health care non-profits through various fundraising activities.

The new equipment will be put to use in the Intensive Care Unit and the Emergency Department at EKRH. They are a crucial tool in emergency and critical patient care and are essential to rapidly ruling out life-threatening conditions.

“Having the portable ultrasounds available to physicians at bedside significantly impacts medical decision-making, differentiating between further imaging and direct referral for life-saving surgery, as well as representing the standard of care for a number of invasive procedures by providing visual guidance to the clinicians performing the procedure. We are grateful for the support of the Auxiliary in providing this much needed piece of equipment for the Emergency Department, which allows us to continue to provide excellent care to the people of the East Kootenay Region,” said Lisa Jackson, Manager, Clinical Operations, ICU, ED.

The Cranbrook Health Care Auxiliary is a B.C. registered society run entirely by volunteers. All members of the CHCA work hard to raise money to purchase medical equipment at EKRH through their Thrift and Gift shops and donations. More details about the Cranbrook Health Care Auxiliary can be found on their Facebook page.

“We thank all the people in our communities that use our services and give freely, either by making purchases or dropping off items and donations. Without you and our wonderful volunteers, we would not be able to continue with the Cranbrook Health Care Auxiliary and give to the East Kootenay Regional Hospital. We are so very pleased that one of the items we purchased this year has been this much needed ultrasound,” said Linda Foster, Cranbrook Health Care Auxiliary Chair.

The East Kootenay Foundation for Health (EKFH) provides funding to health care initiatives throughout the East Kootenay. It supports five hospitals, three health centres, five long term care homes, and community health programming across the region. More details about the East Kootenay Foundation for Health can be found on their website, ekfh.ca.

“We are so thankful for our donors. This project was made possible because of the generosity of donors who have received excellent care in the ICU. We also thank our health care workers for the amazing job they do every single day,” said EKFH Executive Director Brenna Hong.

Located in Cranbrook, East Kootenay Regional Hospital is responsible for providing core medical and surgical specialty services to patients throughout the East Kootenay health service area. EKRH offers services including core physician specialties, level 3 laboratory, acute and obstetrical care, 24-hour emergency care and trauma services.

Lead image: Two new ultrasound units have been donated to the East Kootenay Regional Hospital, courtesy of the Cranbrook Health Care Auxiliary and East Kootenay Foundation for Health. From left to right: Linda Foster, Lynn Maffioli, Dr. Anneline Du Preez, Lisa Jackson, Brenna Hong, Dr. Moninder Vaid. Interior Health photo

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