BOYLE — The Boyle hospital now has a helping hand in the form of a new portable CPR machine thanks to the 11 members of the Boyle Healthcare Centre Auxiliary.
On Feb. 18, auxiliary members braved the cold to make an appearance at the village hospital and officially donate their latest equipment purchase, a LUCAS 3 Stryker portable CPR machine, to the facility.
The LUCAS 3 is a portable chest compression device that can be used in place of manual CPR efforts, freeing up staff’s hands to perform other critical care and life saving measures.
“It means a lot to our health care centre and to the staff, the physicians and even potentially EMS,” said Christie Schmelzle, site supervisor for both Boyle and Athabasca hospitals.
“We are a small rural hospital, we have two nurses on usually at any given time, and when you’re performing CPR to save a life, just having two people is a challenging situation to find yourself in,” she added. “So the LUCAS CPR machine is truly a gift.”
Claudette Dornan, an auxiliary member of nearly 11 years and the group's communication coordinator, said the group was able to collect the $22,200 for the LUCAS through fundraising efforts in the community and a kick at the Alberta Charitable Gaming Model can.
“We do a casino about every 15 months,” said Dornan. “We have a strawberry tea every Mother’s Day, and we don’t make that much money at the tea, but we’re out in the public; we want people to recognize us, so it’s giving back to the community.”
Dornan said the LUCAS is the latest in a long line of equipment and upgrades the auxiliary has raised for the village hospital; in addition to refurbishing patient rooms with new chairs, bedside tables, and flatscreen TVs — to be used at no cost to the patient unlike certain city hospitals —, the auxiliary also funded the installation of an outdoor covered patio in 2018, to the benefit of patients, staff, and family too.
“My mom was a patient at the hospital when COVID hit, and then all of a sudden we couldn’t go and visit. But I would go to the patio and then she could wheel herself over to the window there and I could wave to her and talk to her,” said Dornan.
She recalls the patio price tag coming in around $180,000, and said since the auxiliary’s formation in April 2001, the group has raised and donated over $600,000 in the form of funds, equipment and upgrades to the hospital.
“The Boyle ladies auxiliary support means everything to the hospital. They allow us to stay updated in our equipment and tools, which essentially makes saving people’s lives a lot easier,” said Schmelzle. “Their continued support means a lot to the hospital, to the staff, and to the community.”
Dornan said adding her own efforts to the auxiliary to ensure Boyle’s hospital is as well-equipped as possible gives the Caslan local peace of mind knowing herself and her loved ones in need of treatment can be cared for properly.
The LUCAS compression machine was an ask from hospital staff, and Dornan said now the auxiliary has checked that box, they’re moving onto the next items on the facility wishlist: new stretchers and mattresses for the emergency department and the homecare unit.
Although the emergency department has been closed nightly for more than two and a half years due to nurse shortages, Dornan and the rest of the auxiliary members are staunch supporters of the staff who provide care to countless locals, and are eager to see the facility return to full-time operation.
“Patients have to travel to Lac La Biche or Athabasca or Smoky Lake. If you have to go, if you have to be placed in a facility, it’s quite a distance for family to drive,” said Dornan. “We’re trying to give the hospital as much help as we can as far as equipment goes.”
Though the auxiliary is 11 members strong, Dornan said the group is always looking to grow the team with more passionate volunteers. Those interested in supporting the efforts of the Boyle Healthcare Centre Auxiliary can call reach out to any member of the auxiliary club.
