Hospital Foundation Announces Health Care Purchases
The NEMHS Charitable Foundation’s target in 2021 is to acquire a variety of medical provisions that will benefit newborns and children. The foundation is calling the campaign “Caring 4 the Children”. The goal is to purchase close to $30,000 in necessities that will assist the departments of obstetrics, laboratory, nursing, surgical, emergency medical services along with occupational therapy and physical therapy.
For the laboratory, nursing and obstetric departments, a Jaundice Screening Meter will be obtained, which will assist the lab and nursing staff with jaundice management in newborns. The meter will read the skin of the newborn instantly instead of uncomfortable blood draws and time waiting for lab results. The meter can also transfer readings into the electronic patient chart for effortless and accurate recording.
Another item benefiting obstetrics and the nursing staff caring for newborns will be the purchase and program of HALO SleepSack Swaddles. The blanket wrap is an adjustable swaddle bunting that immobilizes baby’s arms to prevent the ‘Moro’ or startle reflex and is the only three-way adjustable swaddle that adjusts to the baby’s sleep style. In addition to sleeping more safely, HALO SleepSack swaddle blankets help babies sleep better. Sufficient amount of buntings will be acquired for not only the hospital nursery but for each birthing family to receive a SleepSack when being discharged.
A larger and much needed piece of new equipment for obstetrics, nursing and the surgical departments will be a new Giraffe Infant Warmer with a built-in Integrated Resuscitation unit. The Giraffe Warmer is a wheeled cart with a series of gauges embedded along a column at the front, topped by a heat lamp. When a newborn is laid on the cart’s small table, nurses can record its weight, measure heart rate and oxygen levels, and even resuscitate the baby if necessary.
Emergency medical services department of NEMHS will receive two Pedi-Mates, which is an Emergency Child Restraint system. The device is designed to safely secure children weighing 4 to 110 pounds on an adult size cot during EMS transport in any emergency vehicle. It is not acceptable for a child to be transported unrestrained on a cot, whether it is a newborn or a teenager, therefore the Pedi-Mate is an added protection and safety service for our ambulances. Poplar and Wolf Point EMS will each receive one for their locations.
In addition, newer NEMHS departments of physical therapy and occupational therapy needed extra essential items for children and toddlers. They asked and will receive an Itinerant support frame and an Airwalker cocoon- shaped bag which will give children the sensation of walking on an airy floor. The Airwalker will be used for sensory integration, as well as postural control and vestibular input. Currently, the therapy department averages around 20 child sessions per month.
And lastly but very mandatory for protection and safety, the nursing and OB departments will be given 12 new infant car seats for newborns and their families. The car seats will be given out on a need-only basis throughout the year.
NEMHS Trinity hospital location houses the birthing unit for all births. Since completion in 2008, two state-ofthe- art labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum suites are available as well as two postpartum rooms for women who have had Cesarean births or are hospitalized for premature labor. The average number of deliveries accomplished at Trinity is around 104 per calendar year.
The departments of occupational and physical therapy services are also located at the NEMHS Trinity location and have a wide variety of quality equipment to provide treatments of diverse conditions for all ages, children and adults. NEMHS emergency medical services and ambulances assist both campuses of Wolf Point Trinity and the Poplar Hospital for a very wide coverage within Roosevelt, McCone, Daniels, Richland and Valley counties.
The foundation is planning on holding three major fundraisers throughout the year, all dependent on Covid-19 restrictions. Preparation for a different type of Dinner on the Green and the Annual Golf tournament along with the ever popular fall Gala are being planned. All profits from the events will go toward the listed projects.
