$21K ‘urgently’ needed for Langley hospital equipment

Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation is working to raise $21,000 for “urgently” needed hospital equipment.

Heather Scott, executive director of the foundation, said the local hospital is in need of surgical equipment and holter monitors – devices that help diagnose heart problems by tracking a patient’s heart rhythm.

“By donating and helping the hospital increase its stable of surgical equipment, or purchase life-saving equipment like ventilators or vital signs monitors, donors play a pivotal role in creating positive health care outcomes for the thousands of patients each year who rely on Langley Memorial in times of great medical crisis,” she said.

Surgical equipment needed includes scopes and other small tools that help surgeons while in surgery, explained Terra Scheer, director of communications with the foundation.

A vital signs monitor costs about $5,000 and the hospital is in need of four new machines, Scheer noted, while holter monitors cost about $2,600 each and 10 are needed for the cardiac team.

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“As you can see, the need at the hospital is much bigger than our spring goal,” Scheer said. “But we’re hoping with donor support, we can buy a few of these items to provide better support for our patients.”

The foundation is also fundraising for a new ventilator for the hospital with its “There’s No Place Like Home” virtual gala on May 29.

“A ventilator is a life-saving machine that helps a patient take breaths if he or she cannot do it on their own,” Scheer explained. “The lifespan for a ventilator is 10 years, yet three of our ventilators are over 15 years old, and so old they can no longer be repaired if they break down.”

The cost to purchase a ventilator is $95,000, Scheer added.

Tickets for the gala are sold out but people can still participate in the foundation’s raffle by visiting lmhfoundation.com/raffle, or bid on auction items at lmhfoundation.com/gala.