ESTEVAN — A generous donation has been made to the St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation thanks to the Kinsmen TeleMiracle Foundation.
Following a successful grant application, the Kinsmen TeleMiracle Foundation has made a donation of $31,095, supporting the purchase of a new Panda infant warmer and resuscitator for St. Joseph's Hospital. The new piece of equipment offers health-care staff simple and easy-to-use features such as hands-free alarm silence, full-colour display, and an integrated scale, allowing them to focus on the most critical aspects of their job – caring for newborns and their families.
"Thanks to the generosity of TeleMiracle donors, we are honoured to fund the purchase of this essential, state-of-the-art infant warmer and resuscitator that will help improve the quality of care for infants at St. Joseph's Hospital," said Raelynn Nicholson, chair of the Kinsmen Foundation board of directors. "This gift shows how TeleMiracle proceeds are helping people every day, right here at home in Estevan and the surrounding area."
Nicholson noted that the donation was made possible after their record-breaking TeleMiracle in 2022.
"That TeleMiracle raised $8 million, and we made a pledge to the people of Saskatchewan to donate $1 million or more back to health care in Saskatchewan through various foundations and facilities buying equipment to improve the services for all the people of Saskatchewan," Nicholson explained.
St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation applied for funding for the maternity ward from the Kinsmen Foundation. As a thank you for their support, St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation has awarded the Kinsmen TeleMiracle Foundation the naming rights to the primary delivery room. It will now be known as the Kinsmen Foundation Delivery Room.
"Kinsmen TeleMiracle has become huge supporters of our hospital over the years, and we wanted to have a special way of saying thank you. We thought the naming rights of the delivery room would be a great way to do just that," said Lori Gervais, executive director of St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation.
The Kinsmen Foundation supported many other health-care projects after the 2022 TeleMiracle.
"We funded a million dollars to the Saskatchewan Cancer Foundation to replace their breast cancer screening bus. We funded an AED for a senior centre, we funded a Handi Van in Swift Current. We funded a med dispensing system in North Battleford, rehab equipment at the Saskatoon City Hospital, an anesthesia gas machine in Saskatoon and an x-ray suite at the new Urgent Care Clinic in Regina. We tried to spread it all over the province," Nicholson said.
The Kinsmen TeleMiracle Foundation and the local Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs are no strangers to supporting the local hospital. TeleMiracle has funded new beds in both Unit A and the maternity unit while the Estevan Kinettes have given $65,000 for their naming rights agreement of the obstetrics and surgical department.
"TeleMiracle and the local Kinsmen and Kinettes Clubs have been so generous. They have donated hundred of thousands of dollars to St. Joseph's Hospital and have made a huge difference in local health care in our community. We cannot thank them enough," said Gervais.
TeleMiracle is entering its 48th year in 2024. Through the proceeds of this annual telethon, the Kinsmen Foundation is helping people every day in Saskatchewan, to improve their independence and quality of life through gifts of mobility and medical equipment, or funding for medical travel, that they otherwise could not afford.
TeleMiracle also helps fund new and innovative equipment that improves access to quality health care in Saskatchewan.
TeleMiracle 48 will take place Feb. 24-25, 2024, but donations can be made online, anytime at telemiracle.com.
