For the past three years, the South Cariboo Health Foundation has fundraised for equipment needed for an Outreach Program for Urology at the 100 Mile District General Hospital.
Public Relations Fundraiser, Brenda Devine, said nine months a year, three specialists from Kamloops come up to 100 Mile House once a month to do testing, scoping and consultations for patients from as far away as Bella Coola.
“When we first put this program together we put quite a bit of money into all their equipment they would need for all their services, so now we are also kind of adding to it with another video scope and a specialized sterilized cabinet that all their equipment can go into.”
Devine said since they started the program three years ago to have more tests done in 100 Mile House, it’s helped keep patients from having to travel to an out of area hospital for at least 9 months of the year.
“So it’s been a very, very useful program and we get a lot of really good feedback from that. One doctor might come here and process maybe 30 to 40 patients within the day.”
Devine said since 2002-2003 the South Cariboo Health Foundation has raised probably four million dollars.