Staff
The second annual Meaford Hospital Foundation Online Auction will go live on November 13. With 112 donated items the foundation is overwhelmed with the response from local businesses.
“I’ve lived in Meaford for twelve years and am very aware of the support the local businesses have always given charities but this year we have received many generous donated items and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect,” noted Jen Wright, the new Executive Director of the Foundation.
This year’s auction will help raise funds that are needed for a vital piece of equipment in the operating room at Meaford Hospital. With the news of the O.R. remaining open and a vital part of the services, the Foundation will need to help fundraise to replace the anaesthetic machine that is currently in use in the operating room.
Meaford Hospital’s Chief of Staff, Dr. Nathalie Sauriol, says that the current machine is 15 years old and in need of replacement.
“The operating staff and doctors in Meaford are fully supportive of this new purchase for many reasons; the current machine is considered vintage and was manufactured in 2002, and the current provider will no longer support the machine. This past year has been a challenging but successful one for Meaford Hospital, particularly for its operating room. Thanks to a strong and determined community voice we have been able to retain this essential part of our hospital. We are very committed to this, as surgery is the heart of many rural hospitals in providing care close to home,” said Dr. Sauriol.
With the government’s lack of funding for capital equipment items such as this it becomes the responsibility of the community. At a cost of $162,000 the foundation knows it has a lot of fundraising to do to raise that amount of money, but with the online auction and the Christmas campaign they hope to get close to their goal.
The online auction starts at 8 a.m. on November 13 and closes on November 24 at 8 p.m. Bidders can go online to register before the bidding starts at mhfoundation.ca.
