The Humboldt District Hospital Foundation (HDHF) surprised many people with a donation announcement at the Humboldt District Hospital Complex on Nov. 27.
Recently they have discovered that their ultrasound machine, which performs ultrasound scans and echocardiograms, is deteriorating and will need to be replaced in a matter of five years with an estimate of $150,000 needed for funding.
Thanks to a $50,000 donation from the St. Elizabeth’s Ladies Auxiliary in September and a $100,000 donation from Mary Berlinic, the ultrasound machine will have the funding available when it is time to be replaced.
HDHF Board Chair, Aaron Behiel, shocked many with the Berlinic’s generosity, as well as announcing that the ultrasound suite has been named the William and Mary Berlinic Ultrasound Suite in honour of their generous donation.
When William needed cardiatric services, he was thankful that Humboldt had these services available.
He passed away in July 16, 2017 and in appreciation of the care he received, in particular the cardiatric services, Mary made the donation in their name.
Mary could not attend the ceremony but members of the community, hospital staff, and HDHF Board were there to celebrate her donation.
In 2016-2017, the Humboldt Hospital performed 24,045 ultrasounds, which amounts to around 10 a day with the machine running five days a week, says HDHF Board Chair, Aaron Behiel.
“This is a machine that we cannot do without,” says Behiel.
Current President and Chief Executive Officer of Saskatoon Health Region, Dan Florizone, says he was fortunate to be the Deputy Minister of Health at the time the Humboldt Hospital was completed.
The suite will be an important contribution to the community and the region and there is no better way to honour William’s memory than that, he says.
“I cannot think of anything more significant than to make this type of contribution to the people, not only of Humboldt and area, but to the province.”
Yvonne Berscheid Site Leader of the Humboldt District Hospital says she does wish Mary could have been there for the presentation so staff and patients could thank her in person.
While the staff play a huge role in the level of care that is given at the Humboldt Hospital, Berscheid says they are also very fortunate to have the equipment they do thanks to the support within the community through the HDHF.
“Other sites are quite envious of what we have and again, it comes from that community support.”
Until someone is in need of an ultrasound, they do not think about how important that piece of machinery is, says Berscheid so the importance of this funding cannot be understated.
Accessibility of the machine and having the machinery available to them in a timely fashion is important for the people of Humboldt and area.
