Expecting the Unexpected
What happens when equipment stops working, without warning? Sault Area Hospital does its best to plan for the replacement of aging equipment, but not every purchase can be planned.
Sometimes tools just stop working. Sometimes parts aren’t available, or repairs cost as much as replacement. Sometimes we don’t have time to wait to replace critical equipment. That’s why Sault Area Hospital Foundation always plans for “emergency” purchases.
Emergency requests can come from anywhere in the hospital. Most medical equipment has a useful life of 8-10 years, and our “new” hospital is now over 10 years old. As our hospital (and our equipment) gets older, we expect to see more emergency requests each year.
General donations, or gifts to the “Area of Greatest Need”, help to fund these purchases. Local gifts have already helped fulfill $234,499 in emergency requests over the last year. This support helped us swap out three bladder scanners that stopped working. This kindness brought in a new specialized obstetric stretcher instead of making costly repairs to a 10+ year old one. And these gifts replaced an ultrasound unit that was unexpectedly damaged. These are only a few of over a dozen items we were able to purchase, thanks to our community!
This year, SAHF will set aside $300,000 to fulfill emergency requests. This commitment is only possible thanks to continued local support.
Community support helps our hospital provide outstanding care!
