Rick Stiebel
News Gazette staff
The Victoria Hospitals Foundation is looking for funding to provide the best equipment for treating patients dealing with a number of neurological conditions.
The fundraising goal of $405,000 would add 23 pieces of new equipment to the neurology and rehabilitation divisions at Victoria General and Royal Jubilee hospitals to assist people with conditions including stroke, epilepsy, MS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, said foundation chair Steve McKerrell.
“Every year, the neurology and rehabilitation divisions at both hospitals diagnose and treat thousands of patients affected by life-changing conditions that require sophisticated care,” McKerrell said in a media release. “We are asking our community to help ensure our medical teams have the best possible tools to ensure patients can reach their highest level of function.”
VGH is the neurological referral centre for all of Vancouver Island. Treating such a wide variety of conditions requires state of the art equipment, noted Dr. Kristen Attwell-Pope, head of neurology for Island Health. “Having the best tools at our disposal makes all the difference to patient outcomes,” she said.
Former patient Paul Thompson can attest to that following his treatment for a stroke. ”Knowing our local hospital is well equipped to provide emergency care to people like me is very reassuring,” he said. “With timely treatment using the best tools, a complete recovery is possible. I am incredibly grateful for the care I received during and after my stroke.”
Dr. Paul Winston, medical director of rehab and transitions for Island Health, spoke about the role of his team in redefining what is possible in patients’ day-to-day lives. “In all the care we provide, we have the same goal, to maximize potential and restore function,” he said.
New equipment on the wish list includes two new swallow and voice imaging systems, used by speech pathologists to assess patients suffering from functional voice disorders, at a cost of $77,300 per unit. There’s also an electrocardiogram software upgrade that quickly diagnoses the source and severity of a stroke, listed at $75,000, and a radio frequency ablations machine used by specialists to reduce back and neck pain, for $50,000.
Last year the Victoria Hospitals Foundation raised almost $7 million for new equipment and special projects at the region’s two major hospitals.
You can donate online at victoriahf.ca/redefiningpossible, by calling 250-519-1750 or by mail to the Wilson Block, 1952 Bay St., Victoria V8R 1J8.