Another first for our Oncology Unit

General

Friday, November 12, 2010

Thanks to the generosity and hard work of Cobden’s Langdon Produce, South West Healthcare’s chemotherapy patients now have iPads.

On top of the free DVD Service the Warrnambool hospital’s Oncology Unit already provides, patients will now be able to email friends, surf the web, visit Facebook and even tweet!

It’ll be a great way to help break the day, and to stay in touch with the outside world.

‘As far as we’re aware, these are the first iPads to go into an Oncology Unit – so it’s all very exciting,’ says SWH Community Partnerships Manager Suzan Morey.

The donation came about when Langdon Produce employees decided to fundraise for a local cause as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Aware of the tireless work of the Warrnambool and District Breast Cancer Support Group (that raises money to help SWH buy much-needed medical equipment and aides to help with the treatment of local cancer survivors) they contacted member Phyllis McLeish and the rest, as they say, is history.

Langdon Produce Cobden Operations Manager Rob Jenkins says October saw his workplace, led by sales and technical rep Daniel Allen, encouraging customers and suppliers (from as far away as Shepparton and Corowa) to support the company’s in-house appeal. Langdon Produce also donated 50 cents for every tonne of feed sold.

The aim was to raise $5,000. The end result was a staggering $6,125.

‘What’s also really nice about this particular donation is that so many people and workplaces outside of Warrnambool and our health service’s larger catchment area (Warrnambool, Moyne, Corangamite, Glenelg and Southern Grampians) understand how vital this region’s base hospital is,’ Suzan says.

‘This is really encouraging because we are going to need all the help we can get from the wider local community to reach our just-launched $3.5 million Warrnambool Base Hospital Medical Equipment Appeal target. $3.5 million is a huge sum of money and we need to raise it before we open our new $115 million base hospital next.’

The appeal covers the most expensive shopping list you’re ever likely to see. It includes:

the equipping and furnishing of 4 Paediatric Unit one-bed suites ($13,632 each)
the equipping and furnishing of 6 Palliative Care Unit one-bed suites ($11,952 each)
the equipping and furnishing of 12 Surgical Unit one-bed suites ($11,952 each)
the equipping and furnishing of 8 Special Care Nursery pods ($47,213 each)
the equipping and furnishing of 4 Dental Surgery suites ($97,888 each)
a $600,000 Critical Care Unit central monitoring system
$398,000 of pendants/procedural lights for the Critical Care Unit and Special Care Nursery
$220,000 of sanitising equipment/instrument washers
a $113,000 Acute Care Unit integrated nurse call and emergency system
a $360,000 patients’ entertainment and education system
a $100,000 expansion of the Special Care Nursery and Maternity Services central monitoring system
a $26,680 paediatric-specific bath
an $8,970 rehabilitation treadmill
2 Midwifery Unit birthing beds ($24,500 each)

2 Critical Care Unit high-dependency beds ($15,000 each)
3 Midwifery Unit foetal monitors ($37,340 each)
88 patient chairs ($420 each)
88 over-bed tables ($320 each)

4 Midwifery Unit birthing suite baby cabinets ($20,500 each)
40 beds ($5,012 each)
88 bedside lockers ($600 each)

3 Dialysis Unit treatment chairs ($6,450 each)
5 Dialysis Unit over-chair tables ($700 each)

We’d be delighted to hear from individuals, big and small business, groups and service clubs who would love to be a part of this once-in -a-lifetime opportunity to ensure our new base hospital is equipped with the most modern technology regional Australia has ever seen.

If you can help please call Appeal Manager Deb Emmerson on 0355 4134.

photo Port Fairy’s Craig Lovell is the first to check out one of the iPads Cobden Operations Manager Rob Jenkins (left) and Sales & Technical Representative Daniel Allen today donated to SWH’s Oncology Unit on behalf of Langdon Produce. Unit Manager Melissa Duffin and WDBCSG’s Phyllis are thrilled with the generous gift.

PS… The Warrnambool and District Breast Cancer Support Group, a registered branch of the Breast Cancer Network of Australia (BCNA) is our Oncology Units most treasured donor and ambassador. The medical equipment and aides it hasn’t paid for directly it has secured for us by influencing others. From our $40,000 fleet of chemotherapy treatment chairs and $12,000 emergency response trolley to our $3,000 DVD Service and $2,000 of installed artwork, the contribution of this group cannot be underestimated.