A donation to the Sheep River Health Trust will help improve patient care at the Oilfields General Hospital.
The Foothills Energy Co-op presented a cheque to the trust at the hospital in Diamond Valley on Nov. 22.
The donation of over $4,700 will go towards new pediatric equipment and upgraded televisions in the acute care unit.
Andrea Mitchell, executive director of the Sheep River Health Trust, said new televisions will make a big difference for patients.
“If you spend any time in acute care, sitting in a bed, it's not a very fun experience,” Mitchell said.
She said the current TVs are of the old tube variety and no longer work very well. There are only eight working TVs on the unit now, and the plan is to get 20 new ones, she said.
The donation will also help provide critical equipment for pediatric care.
New digital pediatric thermometers will read a baby’s temperature more quickly than the current ones, which eases stress on the infant and family. They also maintain accuracy for a longer period of time, Mitchell said.
Graham Clark, Foothills Energy Co-op treasurer, said the donation is going to a worthy cause, and the new TVs will be more energy efficient than the old ones.
“There’s more efficient televisions being put in with this particular project than they’ve had in the past, so they're going to be able to retire some of those old TVs,” said Clark.
The Foothills Energy Co-op markets electricity, natural gas and internet service to residents and businesses in the Foothills, and profits are distributed to projects in the community.
