Current Needs:

Needs for 2023-2024

  • Brightshores uses an extensive capital process to prioritize needs
  • Only the highest priorities receive funding
  • Government funds less than 10% of medical equipment
  • Check out our “Ways to Give” pages if you find an item you’d like to support!

Equipment plays a critical role at the Brightshores Owen Sound. It allows doctors, nurses and technical staff to offer the latest in tests and procedures to patients from across the region. Having services available here can make a lifesaving difference! A well-equipped Hospital also saves patients from having to travel to larger centers for medical care, and it helps us to recruit and keep doctors and other medical professionals.

Ambulatory & Emergency Care

Cautery Machine

$17,000 – As a result of covid and surgical backlogs Ambulatory care is seing more advanced procedures which require cautery. This would free up operating room time, reduce hospital stays, and promote positive patient outcomes.

Clarion ELLEX SLT Laser

$65,000 – Will allow the hospital to offer glaucoma laser therapy which relieves pressure in the eye for about 5 years. High demand for this procedure in the local community. Doesn’t create any additional surgical wait time as it can be done on the 7th floor in opthamology.

Ultrasound

$55,000 – Currently borrowing the ultrasound from the Emergency Room when needed and is sometimes unavailable. Utilized in vascular labs, ENT, Hep C patients, and more.

Cardiac Care

Echocardiography Unit

$210,000 – Having a second Echocardiography unit will help reduce the current 6 month wait time. Used to confirm strokes, detect cardiac dysfunction, asses congestive heart failure treatment options and more.

Would be operated by an additional staff member in the department.

Epiphany

$13,911 – Upgrade to current software system to ensure it continues working. Used to store and interpret 43,5000 cardiac examinations annually.

Critical Care Unit

Bis Monitor

$10,000 – Used to assess the sedation level of patients who are under paralytics. This prevents a patient from being aware but paralyzed and allows for better patient care/ outcomes as physicans can make adjustments while paralytics are still active.

Hyper/Hypo Thermia Units

$30,000 – Patients with neurological or cardiac instability can become unable to regulate their own body temperatures. Can be used to heat or cool a patient. Demand requires the need for two units.

Diagnostic Imaging

MRI (purchased- thank you!)

$3,500,000 – The Owen Sound hospital has been approved for a second MRI which will reduce wait times and allow for access during emergency situations (such as strokes).

X-Ray Detectors

$204,000 – These detectors are used in every x-ray.  Having two more detectors would mean staff aren’t switching them between machines and all machines can be operated simulatenously to meet increasing volumes.

Prevents possible downtime if a detector was damged while being switched.

Laboratory

Microtomes

$81,650 – One manual microtome ($29,900) and  one automated microtome ($51,750). Used to cut tissue to be placed onto slides for pathology diagnosis. Current microtomes are end of life.

Microbiology Incubator (Purchased - Thank you!)

$20,000 – This incubator provides the optimal conditions for growth of bacteria (O2 and 37 degrees). 

Re-capper for Automation Track (Purchased - Thank you!)

$100,000 – This would upgrade the current automation track which can uncap samples and test them but doesn’t re cap them.

Adding the re-capper would improve specimen stability (as it would happen immediately after analysis) and free up staff for other tasks.

Specimen Tracking System

$112,500 – Currently the deppartment hand writes all specimen numbers and patient identification. Often multiple times while processing specimens into tissue blocks and slides. 

This labelling and tracking system would speed up processing and reduce the error risk of manual recording.

Nuclear Medicine

Radioactive Material Storage Cabinet

$20,927 – Used daily to store radioactive materials required in nuclear medicine. 

Thyroid Uptake System

$28,481 – Used for Radioactive Iodine Uptake exams which evaluates thyroid function. Is a mandatory test for staff and physicians after handling II-131 capsules which are used to treat thyroid cancer.

Pharmacy

Barcode Label Software & Printer

$10,186 – 10% of purchased medications do not have compliant scanable barcodes. This would allow for all medications to be scanned, tracked and verified.

Inventory System

$430,000 – Moving from 6 individual systems to one centralized system that supports updated inventory management and tracking.

Pharmacy Refridgerators

$40,000 – required for the storage and preservation of some medications.

Respiratory Therapy

FeNO Testing Machine

$8,000 – Tests for Asthma using a new test that works in half the time of the old test and doesn’t cause an inflamatory response in the patient’s lungs.

Doesn’t need prior preperation from the pharmacy.

Surgical & Operating Room

3 in 1 Hystoscope

$9,000 – Used to treat abnormal bleeding, remove polyps and diagnose issues.

A large enough size to remove extremely large polyps and fibroids which would nromally require a hysterectomy.

Other Needs

Staff Training

The Foundation provides funding each year for the education and training of staff directly involved in patient care. The funds are administered by the Human Resources Department.

$50,000 needed

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Support Report:
Fall 2024