The St. Joseph’s Health Care Auxiliary has made its first payment on the latest equipment it has purchased for the hospital.
The auxiliary presented a cheque for $40,000 to the hospital at its annual spring tea, bake sale and raffle on Wednesday afternoon. It represented the single-largest payment to the hospital by the auxiliary in a number of years.
Not only did the auxiliary generate the money through its fundraising efforts and its allocation from the United Way Estevan, but it received a $20,000 donation from Father Cornelius Lucey.
The equipment the auxiliary purchased is for the hospital’s lab, and includes two incubators for microbiology, a digital temperature fridge, a hematology analyzer, and three electrocardiograph machines. The total value, according to president Marlene Shurygalo, is about $124,000.
“Our greatest thanks to the community of Estevan for your generous contributions, whether it be baking, honourariums, crocheting, knitting, making purchases through our gift shop, making donations, selling and buying tickets, and attending our tea and bake sales," said Shurygalo.
Every auxiliary member is important in helping the auxiliary reach its goals, she told the audience.
St. Joseph’s Hospital executive director Greg Hoffort lauded the auxiliary for its contributions, saying he believes it’s the largest and most engaged auxiliary in the province.
“They make an enormous impact in our organization, and it’s not an overstatement to say we couldn’t do what we do without them,” said Hoffort.
The lab is 26 years old, and was in need of an upgrade, he said. It’s not the most high-profile aspects of the hospital, but it plays a key part in the hospital’s operations. Hospital departments that the auxiliary has assisted in the past, such as the operating room and the intensive care unit, could not function without the lab.
Doctors and nurses also rely heavily on the lab’s services, he said.
Mark Pettitt, the manager of support services, echoed Hoffort’s comments.
“If we didn’t have the lab, we couldn’t do surgeries and we couldn’t deliver babies,” said Pettitt. “Which probably means the doctors will leave town, and once your doctors leave town, you know what happens to the community.”
Pettitt, who is also on the United Way board, said he’s pleased that the United Way can support organizations like the auxiliary that do such good work in the community.
A large crowd turned out for the tea and bake sale. Shurygalo believes this was the 160th tea the auxiliary has hosted, since it hosts two each year, and the organization is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year in conjunction with the hospital’s 80th anniversary.
