It's needed equipment in the Sunrise Health Region and the Yorkton Lions have done their part to ensure Yorkton and area residents have access to it.
The Patient Controlled Analgesia pump or PCA is a special computerized infusion pump that holds pain medication and delivers it through an intravenous line (IV). The pump enables the patient to give themselves pain medication and to control the amount of medication being received for pain relief. Pain control helps the natural healing process and decreases anxiety in the patient. Last week the Yorkton Lions Club presented The Health Foundation with $7,000 for the purchase of a PCA.
"We are very pleased to receive this donation," comments Ross Fisher, Executive Director of The Health Foundation. "The Yorkton Lions actually made this commitment some months ago, which allowed us to buy this pump last winter and put it into use. When we were planning this program, it was determined that six was the number of the pumps that we needed. To get the best pricing we could we had to buy all six pumps at the same time. The Lions made a commitment last winter which allowed us to go ahead with the purchase and put the program in place."
PCA pumps have been in use since the early 1970's and are the standard of care for patients with intense pain for the last eight years. "It was time we had this technology here and available to patients in the regional health centre."
This donation brings the total of Yorkton Lions contributions to The Health Foundation to nearly $75,000. "We are very pleased to support the purchase of these pain medication pumps, they will clearly provide a benefit for patients, increasing their comfort and assisting their recovery," comments Peter Legebokoff, President of the Yorkton Lions. "In addition to better pain management for the patient, the PCA pumps will also help nurses by giving them the tools they need to give the patients the best care possible."
All of the funds the Yorkton Lions raise stay in Yorkton, and support the community and its people in a variety of ways. That said, the Yorkton Lions could not do all they do without the support of the community and members. "I think people would find being a member of the Lions, and the service work we do, very gratifying," says Legebokoff. "I would encourage anyone in the community who has been thinking about joining a service club to give the Yorkton Lions a call. We happen to be looking for, and accepting, new members at this time."
