Our current campaign

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A pandemic is something none of us have gone through before; it is a completely new experience and can be a little scary. We have been very fortunate here in Saskatchewan, but when we look at the world around us we see how devastating COVID-19 can be.

The province has begun to open up our economy, gradually and cautiously. However, life is not going to return to normal right away; social distancing must be continued and we should all use common sense to make sure we keep the chance of an outbreak as low as possible.

As a result, the events and activities we all take for granted during the summer are put on hold this year. For The Health Foundation it means three big summer events will not be held: our Charity Golf Classic in June, Rhythm n’ Ribs in July and our Charity Road Race in August.

These events involve thousands of participants and hundreds of volunteers. Collectively they raise $150,000 that is used to purchase medical equipment for the healthcare facilities in this region. But we can't stop our work during this crisis. In fact, it’s more important than ever we raise the funds for equipment needed to maintain and enhance our healthcare services.

The equipment needed for COVID-19 is mostly being funded by government. There are a few secondary items needed to support patients, residents and frontline staff that the Health Authority has asked the Foundation to purchase. That equipment is for the Yorkton Regional Hospital and also the long-term care facilities in this region.

However, almost all the equipment for which we are raising funds this year will maintain and enhance the services available at the Yorkton Hospital. The last several years we’ve raised money for diagnostic equipment like a CT scanner, digital mammography, upgraded blood analyzers and other equipment for the lab. This year we are raising funds for the following necessities:

• In the operating room better lighting, head cameras, surgery tables, and laparoscopic equipment;
• In the ICU a completely new telemetry monitoring system was just installed at a cost of $381,000. That was paid for with donations! Now we need smaller items for ICU like C02 monitors and transport ventilators;
• We have agreed to replace all the chairs in the dialysis program and provide other minor equipment upgrades; 
• In the lab we need a few key pieces of equipment, including a blood gas analyzer and an automated analyzer that will automate and simplify the process of performing blood and body fluid differentials. This equipment will also allow our local lab to send samples digitally to doctors that are blood specialists (hematologists). The local lab staff will be able to look at blood samples at the same time as a specialist – the machine will also provide a diagnosis so it will increase the accuracy of diagnosis by always having a second opinion. This equipment is a significant move forward. The Yorkton lab performs the fourth highest number of tests and procedures in the province -- 332,241 procedures last year. The lab is this busy because blood samples are sent from all the hospitals and healthcare facilities in the region. Purchasing this new equipment will give us state-of-the-art equipment in the lab. It will allow staff to diagnose virtually any condition and allow specialists to review blood samples where necessary. 

All this equipment is vital to a regional hospital; it is equipment we need to have in the hospital working for us.

We know not everyone is in a position to make a donation right now. The COVID-19 crisis has impacted the economy and our personal incomes and lives in a big way. However, if you are in a position to make a donation please consider doing so.

If in other years you pledged someone or participated in the Charity Golf Classic or Road Race, or if you went to Rhythm 'n Ribs, perhaps this year you could make that donation directly to The Health Foundation. We still have to raise a lot of money to be able to purchase this equipment, and we appreciate your help to do that.