‘Supporting our frontline workers by giving them the tools they need.’
(Perth, Ont.) Local healthcare officials, doctors, nurses, patients and volunteers will take to the airwaves of Lake 88.1 Radio on Thursday, October 15th for a live 12-hour fundraising ‘Radiothon’ in support of our local hospitals.
The station is partnering with the Almonte General Hospital/Fairview Manor Foundation, the Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital Foundation, the Great War Memorial Hospital Foundation in Perth and the Smiths Falls Community Hospital Foundation for the second event of this kind, after having to cancel the Radiothon originally scheduled for last May because of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Organizers are planning a full day of interviews and information segments to increase the awareness of local health care facilities and to highlight specific equipment needs that require funding.
Station owner Brian Perkin says, “Despite the incredible amounts of government money being spent on COVID-19 care, our local hospitals are under increasing financial pressure to maintain their facilities and equipment in order to provide quality healthcare. But not everyone knows that some of the funding for our local facilities has to come solely from the community. ”
Perkin states that one of the little known facts about healthcare funding is that each hospital in Ontario is funded by a general budget that pays for heat, hydro, maintenance and the salaries of nursing and support staff. He adds, “That budget does not cover the purchase of medical equipment to provide patient care. Medication pumps, surgical equipment, vital signs monitors, specialized beds, etc. are all purchased from funds donated by members of the community – not through provincial dollars.”
The Radiothon will highlight the need for 28 new intravenous pumps at a cost of $5,000 each for the Almonte General Hospital (AGH) for use in all clinical areas including Emergency, OBS, Medical/Surgery. Another major priority at AGH is the continued fundraising drive to bring a CT Scan to the hospital to provide medical imaging at a cost of $2.2 million.
The twin sites of the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital are also in need of new IV pumps to deliver medications such as insulin, hormones, antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs to a patient’s bedside. There is also a need for a $26,000 Electrocardiogram (ECG) to test a patient’s heart rhythm and electrical activity and an obstetrical bed designed for gynecological and maternity patients at a cost of $21,757.
The list also includes a Fetal Heart Monitor ($36,382) that measures the heart rate of a baby (fetus); a portable Ultrasound for cardiac, vascular, radiology, endocrinology, pediatric, and OB/GYN testing at a cost of $45,000; a lift walker to assist with rehabilitation; a Stress Test System for heart monitoring at a cost of $36,972; and a bedside monitor for both the Perth and Smiths Falls emergency rooms to monitor heart rate and vital signs for patients at a total cost of $105,752.
On Radiothon day, all of the radio station’s on-air hosts will share stories from some incredible patients and volunteers whose lives have been changed and saved thanks to the generosity of local donors. The excitement of Radiothon day will also be shared online at lake88.ca.
For 12 hours, from 6am to 6pm that day, the phones will be manned by volunteers who will take donations from listeners wishing to support any or all of the four partner hospital foundations.
Dr. Peter Roney, Urologic Surgeon and former Chief of Staff at PSFDH says, “Anyone who lives in this region of Eastern Ontario will have a very high likelihood of personally benefiting from the equipment funded through local donations. Most of us will make use of our local hospitals at some point in their lives. So when you make a donation to the local foundation, you are making a donation to yourself and your family.”
