10/18/2023 Article provided by LWDHF & FDC Foundation
The Lake of the Woods District Hospital and Hospital Foundation are celebrating a monumental milestone. The Foundation has received an incredible donation of $500,000!
The transformative donation to the Lake of the Woods District Hospital Foundation (LWDHF) was made possible through a visionary partnership with the FDC Foundation, whose thoughtful and innovative approach to enhancing health-care delivery is felt across our province and nation.
The healthcare needs of northern Ontario are growing. The unique challenges facing those with long distances to travel, poor weather conditions and a shortage of medical resources (including healthcare providers) are just some of the aspects creating the differential standard of health and health care from other parts of the province. The FDC Foundation recognized this gap and knew time was the essence, to remove some of these existing barriers.
When a patient experiencing a critical medical condition needs stabilization in the Emergency Department – time matters. Monitoring possible reactions to a new medication – time matters. Ensuring the safety of patients prior to discharge – time matters. In all areas of LWDH, time matters, and the results of laboratory testing are often a determinant in the next steps of a patient’s healthcare journey.
Lori Hoppe, Manager of Laboratory Services at LWDH explains, “Laboratory medicine is integral to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management of clinical disease including infectious disease outbreaks. It supplies health care professionals with evidence-based data necessary to provide safe, effective, and high-quality care to patients.”
The right lab equipment is essential to adequately serve this region, in a timely, precise and cost effective manner. Over 900,000 laboratory took place at the LWDH in 2022-2023 and it’s anticipated that this number continues to increase over time.
The donation from the FDC Foundation provides an opportunity to enhance laboratory services with the purchase of ten pieces of laboratory equipment and two new pieces for the Surgical Services team, over the next two fiscal years. Some of these items are replacements for existing pieces that have reached the end of their lifespan including the Ultracentrifuge, PCR Analyzer and Chemistry Mainframe Analyzer. Other pieces are brand-new to LWDH including- a small Chemistry Analyzer, a Micro Automated Slide Stainer, a back-up Tissue Processor and TeleVU Smart Glasses to provide virtual, real-time pathology support from University Health Network (UNH). This updated technology is critical to expanding LWDH’s laboratory service offerings and increasing capacity to ultimately reduce the turnaround time for test results.
This new state-of-the-art equipment ensures that patient treatment plans can be developed faster and more accurately at LWDH. When it comes to your health, time matters and the FDC Foundation’s generous support is playing a leading role in improving the access to quality care for our region – an incredible partnership that will enhance the well-being of our community for years to come!
