The Bonnyville Healthcare Centre has become the envy of other hospitals in small town Alberta, which is a very good thing for local residents and the healthcare professionals who work there.
The sophisticated, high-tech equipment now available at the local hospital has made it the envy of small, rural hospitals in this province.
Dr. Guy Lamoureux, the hospital's chief of staff, and Sister Mary Ellen O'Neill, the longtime director of nursing and veteran member of the board of directors, took the Nouvelle on a recent tour of the facility to showcase the incredible and impressive new technology that has been purchased over the past few years.
All of this equipment has been purchased as a direct result of the hospital fundraising committee's annual fundraising gala — held each February for the past 14 years — which has raised an incredible $1.3 million.
Every penny raised from the fundraising gala, which has become the social event of the year here in Bonnyville, goes towards purchasing new equipment and training staff to properly use the equipment.
Over the past several months, the hospital has been able to purchase a new portable ultrasound machine, a vein finding machine, which is used to assist cancer patients undergoing treatment, and otogram, used to conduct sophisticated hearing tests.
Very few rural hospitals in Alberta can showcase the long list of new equipment being used here in Bonnyville, said Lamoureux.
All of the equipment purchased by the local hospital from the fundraising gala has greatly improved the level of healthcare and quality of life for thousands of patients for well over a decade.
None of this would be possible without the generous and continued support of local citizens and businesses.
The generosity of Bonnyville and area citizens and businesses never cease to amaze O'Neill or Lamoureux.
“The kindness of generosity of the people and business owners in this community is truly unbelievable,” said O'Neill. “Sometimes I'm just overwhelmed at the amount of support they show for this hospital. It's fantastic.”
Lamoureux said he has been working and living in Bonnyville for close to 30 years now and he agrees the amount of support shown by local citizens and businesses is incredible.
“I constantly tell my colleagues from other hospitals about our fundraising gala and the equipment we have here and they shake their heads in amazement,” he said.
None of this is going to change any time soon as organizers have already planned “An Evening in Paris” for the 2012 gala in February.
With the continued public support for the fundraising galas and commitment from hospital management to continue bringing in the best and latest technology, Bonnyville and area residents will continue to receive some of the finest medical treatment in the province.
Kudos to every single person who attends the annual gala, every business that signs a cheque to help the cause and hospital management and the fundraising committee for a job very well done.
