GENEROUS benefactors are helping patients in Mareeba at a time when their health hits crisis point.
Long-term locals Leslie and Anne Mills donated $50,000 to the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation, to be used for the Hamilton T1 Ventilator – state of the art equipment for when critical patients need to be intubated.
Mareeba Hospital Director of Nursing and Midwifery Vickye Coffey said the new machine would provide excellent first aid ventilation of patients in emergency situations.
“This new machine is on the wish list of all emergency departments across the state and the Mareeba Emergency Department is fortunate enough to have been gifted one through a generous donation from the Mills family,” Ms Coffey said.
“Staff are very excited to have this ventilation machine to use and it will further enhance patient safety for the Mareeba community.
“This is especially the case for those critically ill patients who need full or partial ventilation during transportation to the Cairns Hospital.”
Mrs Mills said she and Leslie were pleased to support their local hospital.
“The Mareeba Hospital staff were just wonderful when Leslie injured his fingers a few years ago, so that was when we decided to start supporting them as well as the broader Far North Queensland region,” Mrs Mills said.
“Sometimes when we hand over a piece of equipment we’ve bought for them, the staff just get so excited, you’d think it was Christmas,” she said.
Foundation CEO Tony Franz said the latest donation brings the Mills family contribution to health care in FNQ to more than $343,000. More than $210,000 of that money has gone directly to the Mareeba Hospital.
“This family’s ongoing support of health care in our region is a great example of the difference individuals can make and we really look to them as great examples of local philanthropy,” Mr Franz said.
Photo: Anne and Leslie Mills look over the new ventilator with Mareeba Hospital Emergency Nurse Unit Manager Rose Vallier.
