Donation welcomed: Hospital in the Home’s registered nurse and midwife Narelle Guy and ERH’s maternity unit manager Karen Taylor.
New pieces of medical equipment with a combined worth of $174,000 have just arrived at Echuca Regional Health (ERH), bought with some of the funds bequeathed to the health service from a community member.
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ERH’s Hospital in the Home and midwifery staff have welcomed a phototherapy machine known as the BiliCocoon System, which treats jaundice in newborn babies while allowing them to stay safely in the arms of their mothers.
Infant jaundice is a common condition, particularly in babies who are born prematurely, and occurs when the baby’s blood contains an excess of bilirubin, a yellow pigment of red blood cells.
Wonderful asset: The BiliCocoon uses light to break down the bilirubin.
The BiliCocoon takes the form of a pouch that wraps comfortably around the baby’s body and uses light to break down the bilirubin.
While preserving the mother-child relationship, it allows for a simple, effective and safe treatment in hospital or at home.
Hospital in the Home’s registered nurse and midwife Narelle Guy said the Bilicocoon system delivered safe, controlled phototherapy without compromising the relationship between mother and baby.
“Parents are able to continue to cuddle, feed and comfort baby without interrupting treatment. This system will be used for our babies requiring phototherapy in the home,” Ms Guy said.
The community services team received various equipment including three Enuresis/bed wetting alarms, a Verathon bladder scanner, a MindRay DP 30 Ultrasound, a lymphscanner and podiatric chair.
The Enuresis/bed wetting alarms are all currently on loan in the community and has meant that paediatric referrals requiring this type of intervention no longer need to travel to Bendigo to access a service.
The Verathon bladder scanner is used in daily assessment in the Specialist Continence Clinic, providing a much-needed, more accurate result.
The team also has the ability to take it into the community for assessment, making it especially valuable for people who are unable to attend the clinic.
Care: The ERH women’s health team members are delighted with the purchase of the lymphscanner.
The ERH team has received some specialist training for the MindRay DP 30 Ultrasound.
Being portable, it has aided numerous assessments including reducing the need for paediatrics to have an abdominal X-ray for constipation management.
“The new equipment is a very valuable addition to our health service and will be utilised every day,” ERH community rehabilitation program manager Chelsea Nevin said.
ERH Women’s Health physiotherapists were much appreciative of the purchase of the lymphscanner for their team.
The portable measuring device is very useful in the detection, monitoring and treatment of lymphoedema.
The lymphscanner is able to take rapid readings, helping therapists to quickly gain information on the regional distribution of lymphoedema.
“ERH Women’s Health physiotherapists provide care to people experiencing lymphoedema or at-risk of lymphoedema post-cancer treatment. The Women’s Health team are thankful to the Rose Estate for the purchase of a lymphscanner, allowing the team to provide a higher level of care by being able to accurately measure lymphatic flow and develop a care plan to suit,” physiotherapy and exercise physiology services manager Bruce Gilmour said.
The new podiatry chair provides clients a comfortable and safe environment for their podiatric treatments.
The chair also reduces the manual handling that clinicians undertake to reposition legs and feet and improves safety and comfort for clients and clinicians.
Senior podiatrist Erin Newman said the chair would help the team for many years to come.
“What a difference our new podiatry chair has made. We are so very grateful and appreciative to be able to receive a new chair from the health service donation,” Ms Newman said.
ERH chief executive officer Robyn Lindsay expressed her thanks for the funds bequeathed to the health service.
“Having our own BiliCocoon means that we can look after newborns with jaundice in the comfort of their own home instead of remaining in the hospital for their care,” she said.
“The community services equipment are valuable additions to the health service because of their design features and they, too, will contribute enormously to patient care and staff safety.”
