The littlest patients at Victoria General Hospital are receiving some of the best medical care on the Island thanks to a donation from a local group.
The Victoria General Hospital Auxiliary recently donated more than $6,000 from its annual Poinsettias for Patients program to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation.
Funds raised during the November campaign went towards the purchase of a biliblanket for the View Royal hospitalB次元官网网址檚 neonatal intensive care unit.
B次元官网网址淲e are business-oriented and serious about making money for the hospital,B次元官网网址� said auxiliary president Valerie Smith.
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The biliblanket blanket is wrapped around jaundiced babies and provides continuous photo therapy as a fibre optic light shines from the blanket onto the skin of the baby, helping to reverse the condition. Using this, mothers are able to hold their babies. Prior to having the blankets, nurses would use a overhead photo therapy light, which was often uncomfortable for the babies and didnB次元官网网址檛 allow parents to hold them.
This is the fourth blanket the auxiliary has purchased for the unit.
B次元官网网址淭he impact that these units have is very broad and very vital to keeping our babies healthy,B次元官网网址� said Gillian Kozinka, a long-time neonatal nurse and current manager of neonatal and perinatal services.
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The donation has helped mothers such as Carly Taylor.
Taylor, who is from Quadra Island, gave birth to her first child B次元官网网址� a baby girl B次元官网网址� last Friday. The baby (her parents have not yet settled on a name) was born about a month premature and was in respiratory distress. The family was then airlifted to VGH, where sheB次元官网网址檚 been receiving oxygen and pressure therapy to help her lungs function properly. The baby was also wrapped in the biliblanket for the past two days to help with her jaundice.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just been amazing to be able to have her receive the therapy, but still be able to connect with her as a mom B次元官网网址� thatB次元官网网址檚 huge,B次元官网网址� Carly said. B次元官网网址淪he has been responding really well to the therapy. Each day sheB次元官网网址檚 a little bit better and obviously as a new mom, thatB次元官网网址檚 fantastic.B次元官网网址�
In addition, $55,000 of funds raised through sales in the hospital gift shop, and PurdyB次元官网网址檚 chocolate sales in the hospitalB次元官网网址檚 concourse, was also used to buy a new intubating scope for emergencies in the unit.
The auxiliary, which is also celebrating its 35th year, donates more than $200,000 annually to the hospital to purchase medical equipment, plants for the cafeteria and push chairs.
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