WESTLOCK — The Westlock Healthcare Auxiliary Society has once again come through to help with the purchase of more than $120,000 worth of needed items for the Westlock Healthcare and Westlock Continuing Care facilities.
The hospital auxiliary, which meets monthly, approved items they planned to purchase at their May 31 meeting, as every spring they are provided with a “wish-list” of needed items for both facilities.
“Every year they are so generous to our site and they often donate really necessary equipment for the use of our patients,” said Westlock Healthcare Centre site administer Meagan McCoy-McLevin. “They’re a wonderful group and we’re so fortunate to have them in our community.”
Recreation supervisor and therapist Marina Kearns said items they receive from their ‘wish list’ are used quite a bit and the donations go a long way to enhancing quality of life for their 117 residents.
“We are able to get items that maybe we can’t through regular Alberta Health Services (AHS) funding,” said Kearns. “Every year we’ll ask for different items that are really in need, so we’re really thankful to have them supporting the residents.”
Approved items for long-term-care includes a $10,953 shower trolley, four electric beds valued at $49,180 and $5,200 to recreation for various items such as gift cards and newspaper subscriptions. The hospital also had several items approved that will be donated when they arrive later this year, including $9,735 for a pediatric immobilizer and positioner, a bladder scanner, valued at $19,650, two Broda chairs that cost $9,061, a $2,740 cataract transport chair, a dialysis weight scale, valued at $6,998, and an ER stretcher with a $7,923 price tag.
Auxiliary president June Krysa noted a plaque inside the hospital lists all past donations by the group over the years and now donated equipment is fitted with a special label to indicate the item was donated by the auxiliary.
There are about 25 members with the organization today, eight of whom are now considered life members after having served with the auxiliary for more than 25 years. The group was established in 1929 and continues to meet monthly today and has a special luncheon June 21 to honour the life-members.
“We have one member, she’s been an auxilirian for 52 years,” said Krysa.
