Auxiliary buys new equipment for SGH

THREE new pieces of medical equipment with a combined worth of $25,300 have just arrived at the South Gippsland Hospital (SGH) in Foster, bought with some of the funds generated by the Hospital’s Auxiliary during the past financial year.

Hospital midwifery staff have welcomed a phototherapy machine known as the BiliCocoon System, which treats jaundice in newborn babies while allowing them to stay safely in the arms of their mothers.

Infant jaundice is a common condition, particularly in babies who are born prematurely, and occurs when the baby’s blood contains an excess of bilirubin, a yellow pigment of red blood cells.

The BiliCocoon takes the form of a pouch that wraps comfortably around the baby’s body and uses light to break down the bilirubin.

The Hospital’s Triage Room now has a state-of-the-art adjustable treatment chair that can also fold down flat into a trolley.

The chair is fitted with wheels, so it can be shifted around with ease while set in any of its positions, including straight into the Hospital’s Urgent Care Centre located immediately next to Triage, if required by a presenting patient’s condition.

The third item purchased by the Auxiliary is called a Sara Stedy, which is another type of chair on wheels and is used to help patients who need extra care to move safely in and out of bed and around the Hospital.

SGH chief executive officer Paul Greenhalgh said, “we are so blessed with our Auxiliary, and the amount of effort its members keep putting in to benefit the Hospital’s patients, the staff, and the local community is remarkable.

“Having our own BiliCocoon means that we can look after newborns with jaundice right here in Foster instead of having to transfer them to a larger hospital for this type of treatment,” he said.

“In the past we’ve usually had to hire equipment like the Sara Stedy to help patients with mobility issues, and now we have one of our own on hand, to use whenever it’s needed.

“The Triage Room’s treatment chair really is a valuable addition to the Hospital because of its design features and it, too, will contribute enormously to patient care and staff safety,” Mr Greenhalgh said.

“We appreciate every single one of the donations of equipment the Auxiliary makes to the Hospital,” he said.

“The Auxiliary asks what’s needed and then the members strive to achieve what’s on the Hospital’s wish list, year after year.”

Auxiliary secretary Dianne Paragreen said she and her fellow members were “very pleased to be able to provide these three very much needed pieces of equipment.

“The BiliCocoon means jaundiced babies don’t have to be sent away to other hospitals and can stay here with their mums, and the Triage Room’s treatment chair is a marvellous addition,” she said.

“We can already tell that the Sara Stedy is going to be used a lot to help people move easily and safely around the Hospital.

“Everyone in the Auxiliary is delighted that we’ve been able to fund these,” Mrs Paragreen said.

“We’re all very thrilled to see such a great result for all of our hard work.”

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