SACKVILLE, N.B. – The Sackville Memorial Hospital (SMH) Foundation has launched its Accuracy is the Best Result Good Chemistry Campaign 2018, with an ambitious $100,000 fundraising goal.
Strong community support is needed once again to ensure laboratory professionals have the best technology to provide the most accurate results for patients.
This year, the Foundation will purchase a sophisticated chemistry analyzer for the lab at the SMH. This technology will provide quick and accurate results, allowing physicians to make the correct diagnosis and administer prompt treatment to patients. The new unit will replace an aging unit that is reaching the end of its lifespan.
The chemistry analyzer provides analysis of blood samples. This technology will be used for many things including testing liver, kidney and heart function. Glucose is the most frequently performed clinical chemistry procedure used in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes.
The lab touches virtually every aspect of patient care. The lab, which performs over 61,000 tests per year, is arguably the hospital’s most vital service. Diagnostic tests are often the least expensive component of the health care pathway, yet they influence more than 70 per cent of all health care decisions. The dedicated team of medical laboratory professionals at SMH process over 250 specimens per day from admitted patients, the emergency department, Extra Mural Program, long-term care facilities and various clinics throughout the Tantramar area.
Campaign chair Pat Estabrooks says she is delighted that with the help of our donors, over $100,000 will be invested in lab equipment for our hospital.
“Every year, thousands of patients from the Tantramar region and beyond receive exceptional care at the SMH. Gifts to our annual campaign help our hospital remain at the forefront of medicine by acquiring leading-edge medical equipment, greatly improving and changing the lives of patients facing health care challenges,” says Estabrooks.
Anyone who would like to make a donation can contact the Foundation at 506-364-4204, drop by the hospital or donate securely on-line at www.smhf.ca/donate.
If the campaign goal is exceeded, the additional funds will be used on the hospital’s other priority needs.
The official launch of this year’s campaign, which was to be held in the hospital atrium on March 22, was cancelled due to the inclement weather. Campaign letters will be going out in the mail over the next few days.
