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Endoscopy Campaign wraps up at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital

The KBRH Health Foundation recently held a donor ceremony for contributors to its $450,000 tally
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The donor wall for the Endoscopy Campaign was unveiled on Thursday in the lobby of Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital. (Patricia Cecchini photo)

Once again West Kootenay-Boundary communities have stepped in with donation dollars for a regional hospital drive, arriving on-time and $50,000 ahead of the $400,000 finish line.

Related story here: Foundation kicks off KBRH Endoscopy Campaign

The health foundation at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH) launched its Endoscopy Campaign last March.

All funds raised have been, and will be, directed into new endoscopy equipment, such as gastroscopes and colonoscopes. The KBRH endoscopy department is one of the hospital’s busiest ambulatory procedure units, running five days a week and servicing at least 50 patients over those five days.

“We have purchased state-of-the-art medical equipment to support our five surgeons and medical team that perform over 2,500 endoscopy procedures annually,” began Lisa Pasin, the foundation’s director of development.

“The additional funds raised will remain allocated to the program and will purchase additional, priority equipment for the Endoscopy Program, which includes the Colorectal Cancer Screening Program,” she noted.

“One in six British Columbians are affected by colon cancer.”

To thank all contributors, the foundation hosted a donor wall ceremony in the KBRH lobby Thursday afternoon.

“We are extremely grateful to have been provided the opportunity to partner with Interior Health and our medical team to support the Endoscopy Program,” Pasin said. “Which brings the hope of earlier diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, including colon cancer, ultimately with lives being saved.”

Endoscopy is a non-surgical procedure used to examine a person’s digestive tract. The endoscope is a flexible tube with a light and camera attached, that once introduced into the gastrointestinal tract or colon, transmits a picture to a TV monitor to assist physicians in diagnosing and potentially treating respective diseases.

In addition to new endoscopes, campaign purchases to-date include an Argon Coagulator Cautery Machine, which treats active bleeding in the bowel, and a High Definition Tower with Light Processor and Screen. The tower system is comprised of a screen, light source and video processor, which provides the best quality images to assist the physician in making a diagnosis.

To prep the scopes for sterilization, an Endoscopy Cleaning System was purchased as well as a Scope Cabinet with Hepafilter, which is essential to ensure proper storage of the equipment.

The health foundation is currently working on raising $1 million for the Emergency Department Campaign.

Over 16,000 patients are seen in the KBRH emergency unit each year, including the most critically ill and injured patients from across the region.

“The foundation is committed to raising $1 million over two years and will purchase state-of-the-art equipment to support patient care,” Pasin said. “Maintaining adequate service provision is of critical importance for our regional hospital, as KBRH is responsible for providing core services for our many stakeholders throughout the Kootenay Boundary, ranging from community members to industry partners,” she added.

“The emergency department will triple in size and will address current space and service challenges, as well as accommodate projected patient care needs for years to come.”

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Updated equipment from the KBRH Endoscopy Campaign will greatly improve visual resolution , much like newer high definition TVs, allowing better picture clarity, Dr. Todd Owatz said in March 2017. Sheri Regnier photo)


Sheri Regnier

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