The TB Vets Foundation has donated $15,000 toward the funding of specialized ventilators for the intensive care unit at Royal Jubilee Hospital.
The contribution is part of the charity’s B.C. Challenge – a goal of providing 100 B.C. hospitals with 100 life-saving ventilators, in their 70th year of operation.
Since 1946, TB Vets has been on the front lines of respiratory care distributing more than $1 million for urgent respiratory equipment, education and research.
Zachary Hilberry, regional practice lead for respiratory therapy services with Island Health, said the new ventilators will be used to assist the most critical patients to breathe.
“This new equipment is designed to be more comfortable and less invasive for patients,” Hilberry said. “It works like a sealed face mask and requires no intubation, instead relying on positive pressure ventilation to help patients breathe.”
Locally, TB Vets has donated more than $1,375,000 through the Victoria Hospitals Foundation helping patients receive state-of-the-art care at Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals.
Bruce Dyck, Victoria Hospitals Foundation board chair said the incredible fundraising efforts and generosity of TB Vets have had a long lasting impact in local hospitals.
“This gift highlights their unwavering commitment to our community and we cannot thank them enough for playing such a significant role in helping to equip our hospitals with the best possible tools,” Dyck said.
The new ventilators are non-invasive, critical equipment for patients making breathing support more comfortable following major trauma, congestive heart failure, or severe lung diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).