Our supporters
We would like to thank Lane Neave, who have tirelessly supported our events and activities over the years.
We also thank all of you who have volunteered at one of our events, bought a lapel pin, donated money or attended one of our events. The Foundation wouldn’t be able to continue improving Emergency Care without you!
Grants
The Emergency Care Foundation thanks Printable Solutions for their support that assisted with updating the scrubs worn by the senior doctors in the Emergency Department.
The former Canterbury Earthquake Survivors Trust (now wound up) ran fundraising efforts since 2012, and generously supported the Emergency Care Foundation with a grant to complete and publish earthquake-related research.
Following the Christchurch earthquake, one of the most notable lessons was that the loss of use of the hospital lifts meant that it was not possible to access x-ray services on the first floor of the hospital. As a result of this, on-the-spot improvisation had to occur and vital medical information about patient injuries was provided using portable ultrasound machines.
Following this, it was decided that Christchurch Emergency Department’s existing ultrasound machines were not adequate for future major disasters or even high volume workloads and a successful application was put through to the Rata Foundation (formerly Canterbury Community Trust) for a brand new state-of-the-art portable ultrasound machine. During the course of the year, this has been used on multiple occasions and we would estimate that it is used approximately one thousand times per year for patient benefit. The Emergency Care Foundation is very grateful for the donation, allowing the purchase of the new ultrasound machine.
We would like to thank Rata Foundation for contributing towards the annual salary of our research nurse for the eighth year running allowing her to continue undertaking vital research.
Additionally, the Rata Foundation has provided grant funding for an additional ultrasound probe, and an Accuvein device which involves using infrared light through a special lamp, and makes veins in a patient much easier to see. We hope that this will help in the care or our patients, particularly in small children and the elderly.
Donations for Vital Pieces of Equipment
'Accuvein' vein visualisation technology device
Patients presenting urgently to the Emergency Department often require rapid blood tests or emergency treatment via a vein. The insertion of needles or tubes into the vein in order to take blood tests or to provide emergency treatment can often be extremely difficult and is even more likely to be difficult when a patient is very unwell. This is because when somebody is very unwell, often the body will centralise circulating blood and blood flow to the limbs becomes restricted. In such circumstances the veins (in the arms, for example) become much harder to see. This is often a problem in the elderly, but especially so in children and in particular young children. Children up to the age of 5 very often have very chubby arms and legs with very hard to see veins. This can make giving emergency treatment and doing emergency blood tests a crisis situation extremely hard and stressful for the doctors and the parents.
Solution:
Technology has been used to develop a device called the Accuvein, which uses special infra-red lighting to highlight veins that are not visible by the eye under normal light conditions, and which cannot be felt. After investigating international experience with this device we have recently trialled an Accuvein device in Christchurch Emergency Department in order to gain staff feedback. This feedback has been extremely positive and staff members certainly feel that the device allows doctors and nurses and other key staff to identify veins in situations where this would not otherwise be possible. This really is potentially life-saving. Most doctors or nurses would remember crisis situations where they felt that the patient might die because it was difficult to give appropriate treatment in a timely manner because it was hard to find a suitable vein.
The Accuvein device is portable to use around the Emergency Department. It represents cutting edge technology which we believe will be greatly beneficial to the people of Canterbury coming to Christchurch Emergency Department.
Ultrasound machine
Christchurch Emergency Department through the help of the Rata Foundation acquired a new ultrasound machine which has been put to very valuable use in the care of patients. The Emergency Department also has a second and older Emergency Department machine which because of cost constraints did not have the complete array of ultrasound probes necessary to complete all examinations. Our older ultrasound machine currently has a probe for imaging the heart and one for looking for veins in muscles and nerves; however it did not have a probe for looking for serious abdominal problems, which is perhaps the most common use for which one needs an ultrasound machine. The Emergency Care Foundation was delighted to be granted funds to purchase an additional ultrasound probe for the older ultrasound machine which still has many years of life left in it, but which was not fully functional because of the lack of a complete probe array.
SonoSite Handheld Probe
Southern Trust and Eureka
Southern Trust and Eureka provided a large contribution towards the purchase of this whole-body ultra sound which assists doctors make rapid diagnosis, with minimal cost and without the need for exposure to radiation, intrusive tests or moving a patient. The Emergency Care Foundation felt by having the latest in technology in high quality ultra sound, doctors would be able to improve efficiency and lowers the threshold for life-threatening conditions. The probe is now located at the Emergency Department and is being used on a regular basis to help save lives.
do•na•tion
1. an act or instance of presenting something as a gift, grant, or contribution.
2. a gift, as to a fund; contribution.
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