Three new specialized wheelchairs have been donated to Ridge Meadows Hospital thanks to the foundation and generous donations from the public.
The Tilt-in-Space Bariatric Wheelchairs will provide basic mobility for the bariatric population, explained Kate Campbell, communications coordinator with Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation, referring to those with a certain body mass index, BMI, that classifies them as obese.
They were given to the Rehabilitation Department of the hospital in June.
The new wheelchairs have pressure-relieving cushions to aid in the prevention and healing of pressure wounds, and they promote the early mobilization of patients with complex medical presentations, Campbell noted.
They also aid in rehabilitation, as patients gain strength by independently propelling themselves using their arms or feet, as well as getting out of bed and into the wheelchair, she further explained.
These wheelchairs cost approximately $7000 each and are on Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation’s 2021-2022 list of essential equipment and other high-priority health care needs for Ridge Meadows Hospital and Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Health Services.
There are 24 other items on the list that the foundation is hoping to provide to the hospital including a telemetry monitoring station for the surgery unit that will cost $200,000 a transport ventilator for respiratory therapy that will cost $36,700, and a rapid infuser for the post anesthesia care unit expected to cost $56,500. In total the foundation is hoping to raise $580,780 to purchase all the items on the list and an additional $88,000 for other funding supports including COVID-19 response, Baillie House, health education endowment grants, and life long learning grants.
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Fundraising is ongoing at the foundation.
The foundation’s 50/50 Fortune raffle was launched on Monday, June 28, and will be a digital, community-wide event. The raffle will be drawn at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 1.
Tickets are $10 each, or, three for $25, eight for $50, and 20 for $100.
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“We are also working on the details of our Wine & Dine In 2021 Virtual Gala,” said Deanna Lackey, development officer with the foundation.
That event will take place Saturday Oct. 16. There will be both silent auction and raffle components starting two weeks prior to the gala.
To purchase tickets to the Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation 50/50 Fortune Raffle go to rmhfoundation.rafflenexus.com.
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