HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt and District Hospital Foundation has spent $27,600 on priority equipment for the hospital, some of which were listed as critical needs.
“It’s been once a month where there have been priority equipment requests and some of them were labeled as critical needs,” said Lorrie Bunko, the foundation’s executive director. “Those ones we act on right away and take very seriously and review those.”
This month’s critical needs equipment included two infant bassinets and a training projector.
The previous bassinets the hospital is replacing are both 30-year-old bassinets, and one is broken.
“One bassinet had a crack in it and was unable to be replaced because 30 years old, so finding a replacement was impossible,” Bunko said. “So that was a critical need.”
Shoppers Drug Mart donated $4,100 from their growing women’s health program, covering almost half of the $8,700 purchase for the bassinets.
Bunko said the training projector will be used to replace one which had broken down just a couple days before the request was sent to the foundation.
“What people don’t realize is when new pieces of equipment come in, there is always a training process involved so everyone is fully aware of how to use this new equipment,” she said. “So a projector is really important to deliver effective training.”
For non-critical need equipment, the foundation purchased two mobile charting carts, replacing the existing ones that are over 30 years old; a charting station, so staff can update patient charts closer to patient rooms; and a two-step bariatric leg stability board for X-rays.
