Aged care residents and hospital patients at Grampians Health Horsham and Dimboola will benefit from more than $70,000 in donations from Wimmera Base Hospital Ladies Auxiliary this month.
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The auxiliary has financed the purchase of three transport monitors for the hospital's emergency department, blood pressure machines for the Alan Wolff Medical Centre as well as a new maxi-move hoist lifter, a Hover Matt and two tilt-in-space wheelchairs for Wimmera Nursing Home.
The nursing home's Nurse Unit Manager Efraim Fajardo said he was delighted to receive the donations from the hard-working auxiliary.
"These funds allow us to purchase equipment which greatly benefits the safety and quality of life of our residents," Mr Fajardo said.
"For example, the tilt-in-space wheelchairs are not only more comfortable than our current models but their adjustable features mean they are better suited to meet the diverse needs of our residents.
"Wimmera Nursing Home is so grateful to the ladies' auxiliary. I have so much respect for the work they do. They are wonderful advocates for our residents."
Grampians Health deputy chief operating officer hospitals - west Carolyn Robertson said she was very proud to have such an established and hardworking auxiliary supporting the hospital communities of Horsham and Dimboola.
"The amount of money raised and subsequently spent at Horsham and Dimboola, goes a long way to supporting patients and residents in our care and I thank them very much," she said.
The auxiliary has been supporting its hospital for more than 95 years. Funds in recent years are raised mostly through its Opportunity Shop in Darlot Street, Horsham. The shop is stocked with community donations and the sale of items contributes in excess of $60,000 annually to the Horsham and Dimboola campuses.
Auxiliary president Denise Queale has worked for the hospital for more than 20 years as Environmental Services manager and Accommodation manager.
Her work experience has given her a strong understanding of the support health services need.
"The shop has been going 'gang-busters' over the past 12 months and we will be announcing another big donation soon that will benefit surgery patients," Mrs Queale said.
"The reason for our success is the support of the community and our hard-working ladies who do such and incredible job at the shop in particular. We were also very fortunate to receive a $10,000 bequest from an older Horsham lady which was wisely spent renovating the shop and bringing it into the 21st century.
"It is now very nicely set out."
Mrs Queale is proud of the auxiliary's philanthropic history and lists previous donations to all departments of Grampians Health Horsham and Dimboola. These include bariatric chairs, cribs for premature babies and patient monitors for Day Procedure Unit, Surgery, Intensive Care and Emergency. Recently the ladies' auxiliary helped renovate the Respite House.
Each year auxiliary members vote on what their next equipment purchase will be. The vote is guided by a list of needs provided by department managers at Horsham and Dimboola campuses.
"Although we are now part of Grampians Health, it's important for people to understand that our auxiliary's constitution defines that all the money we raise in Horsham is spent on health services for our local community," Mrs Queale said.
"It is not spent outside the two campuses."
- Wimmera Base Hospital Ladies Auxiliary meets on the first Monday of each month. If you would like to volunteer with them, please contact Denise on 0417 323 912.
