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Surgeons and medical staff at Vernon Jubilee Hospital will soon have a new piece of equipment to assist with abdominal surgeries thanks to a generous donation from the Vernon Legion, Branch #25.
Referred to as a surgeon’s ‘third arm’, the 18-piece stainless steel Bookwalter Retractor comprises 18 components with varying blade sizes to accommodate the size of organs or tissue to be pushed aside.
“We are excited about this piece of equipment as one of our current retractors is being retired and urgently requires replacement,” said Assunta Shepherd, health services director at VJH.
“We wanted to give where there was the most need,” said John Miller, president of Vernon Legion. He and 2nd vice president Al Berg were on-hand at VJH September 17 to present the cheque for the new retractor.
“VJH currently has three retractors in use and are used two to three times per week. Life expectancy is approximately 10 years for the Bookwalter,” said Shepherd.
A stainless steel ring holds open the incision to expose the part of the body being operated on, giving better access and a clearer visual field.
“This makes surgeries more efficient, and shortens surgery time allowing less anesthetic to be used. The retractor is also particularly useful on larger patients,” said Shona O’Connor, Operating Room Nurse at VJH.
The donation was facilitated by VJH Foundation, which allocates a portion of its fundraising budget for equipment. “This year, VJH Foundation granted $1,316,211 to fund equipment and programs at VJH and IHA-managed community health facilities in the North Okanagan,” said Sue Beaudry, director of development at VJH Foundation.
Funds for the $11,000 piece of equipment were raised through the Vernon Legion’s poppy campaign, which provides funding for veteran-related causes including special medical equipment, social and health-related services for veterans and seniors, low-rental housing, geriatric research, and bursaries for under-privileged youth.
The annual poppy campaign runs from Oct 31 to Nov 11, with poppies available by donation at various locations throughout the North Okanagan.
