Breath of fresh air, Gympie Times 12/10/16

Medical staff and members of the community came together at Gympie Hospital yesterday to celebrate the arrival of a new life-saving piece of equipment.

[caption id="attachment_777" align="alignleft" width="752"] Gympie Hospital nurse unit manager Kimberley Milner and Acting director of nursing Nicole White with the new BiPAP monitor.[/caption]

The Non-Invasive BiPAP ventilator has been described by staff as an important and long sought after addition to the hospital.
“We’ll be using this for life-threatening respiratory situations,” said Kimberley Milner, Nurse Unit Manager at Gympie Hospital.
“Basically when a patient comes in, we’ll pop a mask on them and it delivers high-flow oxygen to them.”
The monitor has been designed for patients with respiratory complications, including chronic obstructive airways disease, pneumonia or sleep apnea.

[caption id="attachment_778" align="alignleft" width="271"] Local business contributors Kerry Plate, Cos Schuh and Therese Starr-Thomas.[/caption]

The addition of the machine allows patients to be treated more comprehensively at Gympie.
“In the past we would have had to transfer them to either Nambour or one of our larger tertiary facilities,” Ms Milner added.
The funds to purchase the $38,000 monitor were raised through community efforts, including $25,000 from the Wishlist Jazz and Wine Festival.

[caption id="attachment_779" align="alignleft" width="270"] Jack Cartwright and Lindsay Robertson at the celebration of the machine's arrival.[/caption]

“The money was raised through ticketing, fundraising events and the contribution of various local businesses,” Wishlist CEO Lisa Rowe said.
“We rallied the team in earnest to get this machine.”

Writer: Jacob Carson

[caption id="attachment_780" align="alignleft" width="369"] Wishlist CEO Lisa Rowe, Nicole White and Lisa Bathersby from APN.[/caption]