Queen Victoria Hospital has received a much needed donation of a portable ventilator with funds received from a Revelstoke business.
Shinji and Lanny Kawakubo along with the CMA Foundation, through its COVID-19 Community Hospital Fund grant, gave an estimated $64,000 to purchase the ventilator to meet the hospitals needs during their continued fight against COVID-19 and traumatic accidents.
The specific ventilator is a military model, with the ability to be programmed to suit a variety of needs.
The donation came at the perfect time, as the demand for ventilators in B.C. and across the world is at an all time high.
According to Julie Lowes, clinical manager for Queen Victoria Hospital, the device is used to stabilize patients on scene as they wait to be transported to Vernon, Kelowna, or Kamloops for further treatment. The ventilator can be used in extreme situations.
Although the demand for ventilators worldwide is specifically for patients affected by COVID-19, in Revelstoke they’re also used for patients who fell victim to serious injuries and require assisted breathing.
This ventilator is now the second at the hospital, the first was purchased in 2015.
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