A generous donation from the Wilson Lowery Trust means Central Gippsland Health (CGH) will now incorporate the most advanced technology in emergency department monitoring.
The Wilson Lowery Trust was established by union members from the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU), Electrical Trades Union (ETU), Australian Services Union (ASU) and the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) following an explosion and fire at the Esso Longford gas plant 20 years ago.
Named in honour of Peter Wilson and John Lowery who were killed in the catastrophic industrial accident, the trust is made up of donations from union members and the funds distributed by site union member trustees.
CGH has received $100,000 to upgrade its Emergency Department monitoring system at the Sale Hospital.
Wilson Lowery Trust spokesperson, Henry Grosveld, said it was hoped the upgrade in technology would allow for the hospital’s emergency department to implement the latest monitoring technology available.
“Donations from union members to the Trust were made to honour the memory of those killed and injured in the explosion,” Mr Grosveld said. “It’s our way of paying tribute to the emergency services which played a vital role as the first responders on that day.”
For the same reason, the Wilson Lowery Trust has also donated $100,000 to the Alfred Hospital’s Burns Unit in recognition of its role in the research and treatment of serious burns.
CGH Acting Executive Director for the Emergency Department, Paul Head, said the donation reinforced CGH’s commitment to continually improving quality patient care.
“This comprehensive emergency monitoring system fits securely into our hospital’s information technology environment to capture timely patient data and feed it securely to our Emergency Management Response,” Mr Head said.
“While patients might not see anything different when they walk through our doors, they should take comfort in knowing that their hospital is using the most advanced technology thanks to the Wilson Lowery Trust.”
The new monitoring system will identify patients in need earlier, support caregivers on the go, close the gap in patient information and deliver consistent quality care, efficiently.
CGH Chief Executive Officer, Dr Frank Evans, said the health service would “be forever grateful for the generosity of the community”.
“Rather than doing a shorter term upgrade of the old equipment, this donation gives us the opportunity to purchase new equipment that will service us for at least twice as long,” Dr Evans said.
“We always have more equipment and infrastructural renewal than money and we cannot thank the members of the Wilson Lowery Trust enough for their thought and consideration of CGH.”
For further details, please contact Tracy VanderZalm of Wordwise Communications on 0447 491 345.