RMC Receives Pediatric Grant To Assist With Youth Care
It’s not every day that a pediatric medical emergency happens in our small community. But when it does, Roosevelt Medical Center will be ready with the pediatric equipment needed to provide life saving treatment to area youth.
Last week, RMC received a $2,800 grant from American State Bank and Trust through the Vincent Gaffney Foundation for the purchase of a fetal monitor and infant car seats for the ambulances.
For the past two years, the facility has applied for several grants, making it possible for them to purchase more specialized pediatric specific equipment for their emergency room and ambulances.
In recent years, the Vincent Gaffney Foundation has also supported the purchase of a pediatric doppler and crash cart dedicated to the needs and sizes of youth at all ages. They have also sponsored the purchases of hundreds of youth health and wellness brochures given out at the school annually and during fair time.
The grant is part of a larger and continuing effort being made by RMC to create a more robust pediatric medical emergency response capability.
“We want to ensure successful outcomes for our tiniest patients in medical emergencies,” said Teresia Moore, EMS director for RMC. “One way to do that is to have the medical equipment necessary to fit their special sizes and needs,” Moore added.
The non-invasive fetal monitor will ensure staff can track the progress of a laboring woman’s contractions while ensuring the baby’s heart rate is stable.
While RMC does not operate an obstetrics department, there have been times when emergency deliveries have occurred.
In 2015, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services initiated a statewide effort to increase pediatric readiness in emergency rooms across the state.
This was done in conjunction with the National Pediatric Readiness Project, a multi-phase quality improvement initiative to ensure all U.S. emergency departments have the essential guidelines and resources in place to provide effective care. This is a partnership between the federal Emergency Medical Services for Children Program, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Emergency Physicians and the Emergency Nurses Association.
“In small communities all over the country, the local hospital serves as the front line of care,” said Jaimee Green, marketing/foundation director. “We have to be ready for all scenarios at all times. But, as a rural non-profit facility, the funding needed to do that isn’t always available in our budget. It is so satisfying and humbling to know we continue to receive local support from all over northeast Montana and western North Dakota. It is the wonderful contributors and donors in our area that are the true life savers.”
