Radiothon funds new equipment for Charlotte County Hospital

CHARLOTTE COUNTY – With the final tally done on the Oct. 7, 2021 Radiothon fundraiser for the Charlotte County Hospital Foundation (CCHF), the foundation can confirm that a final total of $87,607.00 has been raised for the cause.

Steve Backman of St. Stephen has been working with the CCHF board for 20 years, 14 as president. He stays because, “It’s a really fun group to work with, and it has a lot of relevance to the community because health care is important to everyone.”

Backman notes the importance of what the Radiothon fundraising does. “Health care demands more than what finances can supply,” he states. “Budgets are made centrally, they decide what the priorities are, but something might fall off the list, because if it made do for one year, it might make do another,” he says.

“They might decide that something like a bed has been OK so far, so just keep on using it.

“But we have a patient-focused approach,” Backman explains, “and if someone is on a lumpy, old bed for a four or five night stay, well, we would rather they be comfortable.” The CCHF board is pleased the money garnered above and beyond the original target enabled the foundation to buy more beds than originally planned.

In addition to eight beds, the foundation has purchased a cuddle bed. This oversized bed, which can accommodate two or more adults, will be placed in the palliative care unit. “It’s a unique item,” Backman states. “If you have a family member in palliative care and need a larger bed to be with them, it accommodates that relationship.

“I think we are the first hospital in the province to have a cuddle bed in a palliative care unit,” Backman states.

The four geri chairs, or senior care recliners, are items tailored to the Charlotte area. “We need to make sure that our older population has their needs taken care of,” he says. “We recognize that is where our population is going,” Backman notes. “We also purchased (three) special pressure redistribution mattresses for infirm patients.”

Patient comfort is part of what the CCHF factors into its purchases, but staff needs are also primary considerations.

“Each year we ask all departments what they need that is not covered by the budget,” Backman says. “We also look forward into what the future looks like, what services we need to provide.”

The list is generated and then approved by Horizon Health Network.

“What we are looking for,” says Backman, “is something that makes life easier for the staff to deliver healthcare and meets the needs of patients.”

Another use of the money is to assist with staff training. “We try to keep $10,000 in the fund for that,” says Backman. “Let’s say there’s an ER (Emergency Room) nurse who wants to take a special course. We can provide money for the course cost or travel, when that is possible.”

The Radiothon success shows the staff how much the hospital means to the community.

“Charlotte County Hospital is really the centre of the area. It’s a pivotal institution that serves the entire county,” says Backman. “It’s also a key anchor for economic development in the future. If we talk to real estate agents, they always say the first question people ask is, ‘Is there a hospital?’ And then they want to know if they can get a doctor, and about schools.”

The amount given through the Radiothon and after-donations thrilled the CCHF team. “That’s an incredible amount of money to raise on one day for a small county,” says Backman. “It shows that people recognize how important health care is.

“We had been nervous as we thought with COVID that families might be tightening their belts, but that was not the case.”

The team is already organizing for next year’s autumn Radiothon. People can donate at any time through cchfcares.ca or contact cchfcares@gmail.com or call Melanie Cameron at 465-4433.

liangoodall@advocateprinting.com

lian goodall