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New pediatric cart prepares hospital staff with emergencies

A new pediatric crash cart is bringing quick help for young patients at the Ponoka Hospital and Care Centre.
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Money from last year’s Festival of Trees is going to good use with the purchase of this pediatric crash cart at the Ponoka Hospital and Care Centre to help treat children in emergencies. Plans are underway for the next festival set for November. Pictured (l-r) are: Kelly Spurber

Money raised from last year’s Ponoka Festival of Trees is going to good use with the purchase of a Broselow pediatric crash cart that will help hospital staff treat young patients in emergency situations.

Staff at the hospital celebrated the purchase last week and already prepared it for use if the need arises, explained Lisa Barrett, manager of acute care at the Ponoka Hospital and Care Centre.

What is a pediatric crash cart?

Providing medical treatment to children can be a challenge as dose of medicine and equipment needed to treat them in an emergency vary depending on the age, height and weight of a child.

Barrett says the crash cart has colour coded drawers with specific packets of treatment, also colour coded and ready for use. Fully loaded, the cart costs $15,000 and without help from the festival of trees it would have taken more time to acquire the necessary medicines.

There’s a tape measure where we lay the child out in a trauma situation and then it tells you what colour drawer and what colour supplies you need to use,” she explained.

Ease of access to the right treatment allows staff to handle an emergency quickly, she added. “It tells you the medication that you’re going to need, and the doses,” said Barrett as one example of the crash cart’s benefits.

Assessment and stabilization of young patients is paramount and correctly sized splints, intubation tubes, IVs and other supplies will be in the drawers. “It’s going to be a huge difference for us.”

Barrett is excited to see that festival planners are raising money again for the hospital. The hospital’s focus this year is to purchase a new labour and delivery bed, which costs $40,000 to $50,000.

Our number of deliveries in Ponoka has doubled in the last four years,” said Barrett.

In 2012 there were 66 deliveries and last year there were 135 deliveries, she explained. Organizers for the second festival of trees are already gearing up for this year. Last year the festival raised more than $59,000, said co-organizer Sherry Gummow.

We had great response last year and working with the Ponoka and District Health Foundation worked really well. It just seemed to fit,” said Gummow.

Support from sponsors and attendees to the festival was overwhelming and created a fun atmosphere for residents.

 

This year’s festival is set for Nov. 19 to 21 with auctioneer Danny Hooper kicking off the weekend on the 19th. The popular seniors’ tea is set for the 20th and breakfast with Santa is set for the 21st.