Once again, the fundraising heroes for the local hospital have made a rescue, this time, dealing a deathly blow to an old ineffective equipment villain and producing a new and much more efficient analyzer in its stead.
On Wednesday afternoon, the St. Paul and District Hospital Foundation was on hand to present a $55,000 CBC analyzer to the St. Therese Health Centre, which lab technicians have been using in recent months.
Sandra Simard, who manages the zone for Alberta Health Services, was on hand to offer her thanks to the volunteers and supporters of the foundation for the donation. “It is amazing; everybody is over the moon about it.”
“This analyzer should be in every lab,” said medical lab technician Shannon Kostyniuk, noting the cost is relatively low for how efficiently it works. The previous machine would break down constantly, was louder, less efficient, bigger and was more toxic to the environment and technician.
The current one hums along smoothly, moving blood samples through much more quickly. Instead of having a machine break down constantly and having to send blood samples to Bonnyville, needs can be dealt with in St. Paul more quickly, resulting in better turnaround time for patients, she said.
And the machine can run the tests needed with smaller samples, whereas in the past, lab technicians would sometimes run out of samples because of the volume required.
“It’s such a small sample we need. It’s incredible,” said Kostyniuk, stating simply, “This machine is the bomb.”
The lab technicians and AHS were full of praise and thanks for the hospital foundation, and chairperson Linda Kryzanowski said the foundation would continue to work to supply the hospital needs.
“The list is long. It takes us a little while to get through it,” she said. “It is our pleasure to work for you, the hospital, our absolute pleasure.”
There was some laughter as Simard asked them to sign an obituary for the old analyzer, who met a peaceful end and was wheeled away by the undertaker to its final resting place.
